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Neighborhood: Barrio_2: La Pau, Besos, Provenca de Poble Nou

Students:  Saiqa Iqbal,   Nidhi Shah

MAA, 2010-2011

Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia

Interpreting the Map

The mapping can be interpreted into dual purpose:

_to visualize the volume of the pollution,

_at the same time it is giving a potential design image emerging out of the real time data

The effort was given not to propose a 0 emission city rather to take the existing situation as a challenge not only to balance co2 by absorption but also to explore the potential of it. So the main target was to balance the environment by introducing a technological design solution which will reduce Co2 and can produce renewable energy out of the Co2 produced in transportation sector.

The Proposal

_ the aim is to propose an interactive mesh which will work as a tool to measure the real time co2 emission which varies time to time. This mesh can work as an absorber of the shifting amount of co2 emission interacting with the number of vehicles as multiple agents acting as swarm.

Design approach

_ The approach is driven by a machinic process which Self organizes, bifurcates and produces ever-changing emergent results. A bottom-up systemic process is followed to produce an emergent effect.

_the intension is to make a shift in the process of getting energy from a distance source to a locally produced energy source. One of our primary goals was to use the recent technology to create a machinic beauty which will introduce a paradigm of the effect of being amidst a forest merged with the busy thoroughfare of urban life.

Formation of the Mesh

_ an interactive mesh is formed using the points corresponding to the realtime co2 emission by the vehicles. The mesh is thought to be consisting of flexible members forming quadrangles joined by the points which will work as sensors to track the vehicles according to the amount of co2 emission.

_ as a result a mesh emerges which is continually changing with the number of vehicles acting as multiple agent.

_ the mesh is consisted of green algae which capture co2 and produce renewable energy, bio fuel and hydrogen.

The Technology used

_the members of the mesh are made of transparent acrylic coils containing water and green algae. Algae can absorb over 2 million tons of co2 a year per acre.  The photosynthesis process of the algae requires co2 in the front end and it releases biofuel and hydrogen at the back end. So these devices will work to remove co2 from the environment and simultaneously produce renewable energy and thus work as a local energy generator.

_ Algae have the potential to yield greater volume of biofuel per acre of production than other biofuel sources. it can yield more than 2000 gallons of fuel per acre per year of production. Algae used to produce biofuel are highly productive. as a result large quantities of algae can be grown quickly.

_the structure incorporates a system (invented by OriginOil, los angeles) which allows to continue operation in darkness through the use of helix of lights inside each algae tube. These lights can be triggered by low sunlight, so that at dusk the cells will began to turn on. (case study_ Perth Photobioreactor, EMERGENT, Tom Wiscombe)

_at night, the mesh will form a kaleidoscope of colored light and glowing algae performing as an interactive street installation which also work as street light for the passersby.

_ the electricity required for this lighting is provided by the thin film solar transistor embedded in transparent polycarbonate cells which are charged during day.

Design Studio_ Interactive Urban Forest

Team Members: Andreana Papantoniou, Carolina Libardi, Erina Filipovska

FROM MONOFUNCTIONAL TO YBRID: TRANSFORMING THE BARRIO INTO INDEPENDENT UNIT

Upgrating / Connecting.  Idea of a multifunctional neighborhoods, which permits development of new functional units as working spaces, on the existing city formation. It is not a project but a strategy of upgrading, which proposes dynamic design of mixing uses of the building and at the same time connecting them in both horizontal and vertical directions. It is based on geometrical model emanated from a segregation of the most polluted areas procured from the CO2 emission analysis map.

Multifunctional neighborhoods are a good way to reduce CO2 emission from transportation.

FROM POLLUTING TO ZERO EMISSION: TRANSFORMING THE BUILDINGS INTO SELF SUFFICIENT

Producing. Idea of a producing for consuming, which permits generation of as much energy as needed for all the housing units. Idea of upgrading, which proposes light structure design of solar panels on the facades and on the roofs. It is based on solar analyses and shadow range of all the buildings in the analyzed area.

Self-sufficient buildings are a good way to reduce CO2 emission from housing.

On the following link there is the final presentation of our proposals:

http://issuu.com/andreana.papantoniou/docs/booklet

The aim is to propose an interactive urban mesh which will work as a tool to measure the real time CO2 emission. The intension is to make a shift in the process of getting energy from a distant source to a locally producing energy source.

One of our primary goal was to use the recent technology to create a machinelike beauty which will introduce a paradigm of the effect of being amidst a forest merged with the busy thoroughfare of urban life.

Contrary to our first opinion of Montjuic, the site does not absorb carbon emissions thanks to the abundant green spaces but in fact emits large quantities of these emissions from the museums and other public attractors. Thus it was necessary to transform the role that Montjuic played and help maintain the ecological balance.

Given the location adjacent to the sea and the height of the site above sea level, a proposal to use Montjuic as a suitable site for Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity can be made. The system can intake its water from the sea at night, when the electricity prices are low, and the water can be released through turbines during the day when the electricity demand is at its peak. Thus it can make up for the excess demand for electricity when the cost of power is high, while making money for the system.

ushma-full presentation-light

A detailed presentation can be viewed on the following issuu link:

http://issuu.com/ushma/docs/ushma-full_presentation

Taking advantage of the topography of the crowns in Barcelona, we are proposing hydro-electric power plants that use a loop system where turbines generate energy as water flows down, and pumps the water to reservoirs at low peak hours.  These would be placed in the existing sewers and drains at three different scales: the building scale, the barrio scale, and the urban scale.

Team: Daniela Quesada, Luz Michelle Lavayen and Yashaswini Apte.

Building scale . Putxet blocks

We propose to generate Hydroelectric power using the ‘Pico-hydroelectric system’ for the buildings in Putxet. Electricity will be generated by individual buildings using the rain water collected on the terraces.

This system shall be installed in buildings having a water head > 20m. Water turbines alongwith generators shall be located at the bottom of the terrace rain water downtake pipes. The energy generated by the water _owing over the turbine is converted into electrical energy that drives the generator. Electricity is generated using the speed of water _owing from a height.

For buildings having water head < 20m, the rain water collected on the terrace shall be diverted to an underground reservoir within the block. From here it will be pumpedup to the overhead reservoirs on the buildings with higher water head. Depending on the size of the block, availability of space and quantity of water collected one or several underground reservoirs are proposed within a block. Incase adequate storage cannot be provided within a block, the excess water can be diverted to a reservoirs in other blocks or connected to the rainwater collection along the roads of the barrio. The rain water reservoirs ensures that the system can operate even during periods of low or no rainfall.

Barrio scale . Putxet -

Using the existing sewer infrastructure, a loop system would be put into place, using a high reservoir at the top of the crown, and a low reservoir at the bottom of the site.  The water collected during rainfall would be circulated down the streets and down the building terraces, passing through generators to create energy.  These same turbines of the generators would pump the water back up to the high reservoir at low-peak consumption hours.  The sewer systems of the main streets of the site would serve as both water collectors and return routes for the water, where all the other streets would simply collect the water.

City scale . Barcelona

The main idea of the proposal is to take advantage of the water collection through the drainage system and planning a water pumping system to generate electricity in the peak demand hours. For less impact, we are using the existing system and taking advantage of the deposits of rain water located around Barcelona.

1. Recognizing the existing water network in Barcelona.

2. Recognizing the potential sites according to topography where we can apply the model of our barrio Putxet in all Barcelona.

3. Connecting the existing water deposits with the pumping loops according to topography and using the main existing network.

Team Members:
Carlo Caltabiano http://legacy.iaacblog.com/barcelona0emision/author/carlocaltabiano/

Amay Gurkar http://legacy.iaacblog.com/barcelona0emision/author/amayudaygurkar/

J. Antonio Tamez. http://legacy.iaacblog.com/barcelona0emision/2010/12/03/noise-mapping-torre-baro-ciutat-meridiana-vallbona/

The area comprising Torre Baró, Ciutat Meridiana and Vallbona, located in the northeast of Barcelona, because of its location and history, is a zone that shows very distinct characteristics proper to the site, ranging from very different building typologies (from single family housing to multi-family units) to polar opposite feel and look between the three neighborhoods.

Our study tries to incorporate observations made on site so as to be able to generate possible ways optimize the area’s characteristics into a zero emissions proposals.

The investigation about the residential buildings in Ciudad Meridiana,  sets the goal to decrease the residential density, improving the living condition , and  especially the Energy performance of the buildings that are going to be transformed with a double skin, able to get energy through technological – domestic system, involving the people in an active process to achieve a Barcelona of zero emissions.

Using a line on sound research through the area, a sound barrier is proposed along the main traffic lines of the highway that crosses the three neighborhoods as a way to minimize sound pollution and use the gusts of wind generated by traffic as a way to obtain wind generated energy

In order to attack the pollution generated by a cement processing plant just under the driveway, we’re proposing the construction of a dome that serves not only as a filter that reprocesses the CO2 and sends it back to the factory, thus creating a recyclable process, but also as a connecting bridge between Ciutat Meridiana and Vallbona

PDF. presentation with full explanations located at Issuu:

Studio 1 – Proposal for rejuvenating rio Besos

Transforming An Existing City into 0 emissions The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia is involved in a research project
to transform the city of Barcelona in a Zero Emission city. To make that possible,
the students were asked to map the city from an energetic point of view, and then
propose strategies to make the goal possible. This booklet shows the CO2 mapping
process for the barrios of La Sagrea, Congrés, Navas and Camp del’Arpa, and the
consequent proposals to reduce them.

Team:Andreana Papantoniou,Carolina Libardi,Erina Filipovska

http://issuu.com/1707erinafilipovska/docs/booklet