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Emotional Design in Architecture: Impact of Space on Moods and Behavior
Posted in Richard Aoun, Uncategorized Comments closed
HYDRO-MEDIATING INTERFACE_Water management in contaminated groudwater sources
“Nothing is constant but change! All existence is a perpetual flux of ‘being and becoming!’
That is the broad lesson of the evolution of the world.”
Ernst Haeckel [1]
“…the form of an object is a ‘diagram of forces’….”
D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson [2]
“…form is only a snapshot view of transition…”
Henri Bergson [3]
STATEMENT
Focusing into the increasing problem of saltwater intrution in land water sources caused by over-exploitation of groundwater sources for agricultural uses, this dissertation aim to study an efficient way to clean and use the contaminated water.
CONCEPT
Hidro-mediating Interface is a spatialization of an innovative, low-tech water desalination process.
The goal is to reveal new technologies but not for the sake of the image of technology itself.
The project is instead focused on generating technological ambience. The division between technology and culture – and building technology and architecture – begin to dissolve into a hybrid spatial sensibility.
Fluid flows, structural patterning and lighting are all combine into a coherent whole, generating an unexpectedly vivid atmosphere.
PROCESS
Recently, a re-examination of existing seawater greenhouse technologies has revealed possibilities for gradients scales, sustainable desalination using deep seawater and warm sea laminar water in an evaporation-condensation loop.
PROTOTYPE
The project is a landscape greenhouse-canopia characterized by two performative pattern logics. The first is a three dimentional meshwork of capillaries within which cold saltwater (from a local deep source) is circulated in loop. The second is a series of vascular flow intaken, which direct warm saltwater (surface layer) over the capillaries. Saltwater is sprayed into specific areas, the so called vacuoles, this warm air as it enters, increasing its water content. The trasparent lenses creates additional heat in the sub-interior space, allowing the air to take on even more airborne moinsture. Then, when this super-humidified air comes into contact with the chilled micro-pipes, it condensates.
The condensate – distilled – drips down the capillaries into pleated troughs below, which lead to seasonal storage tanks.
DESIGN VISION
The hydronic and structural processes will be legible, but in an ambient, atmospheric way. The aim is not the creation of a “mechanical landmark”, but rather the creation of natural interactive space defined by crossovers of technology, culture, and metabolic behaviours.
Posted in Alessio Verdolino Tagged Contaminated water, Desalination, Hydro-Mediating Interface, Maa02, Prototyping, Solar Still, Thesis, Water Comments closed
In-Between Realities: Towards a Socially Sustainable Urban Strategy for Beirut City
This thesis describes, conceptualizes and explains the division in post-war Beirut, Lebanon based on religious distribution. Its main objectives are to contribute to the literature of segregated cities by (1) conceptualizing division practiced by individuals of different religious backgrounds in the post-war city of Beirut, (2) explaining the logic behind this phenomenon of division and revealing the harmony or paradox between perceived, conceived and lived spaces of the city and (3) proposing a spatial intervention that responds to the discussed division, by that introducing a new vision for a sustainable urban strategy in Beirut.
A discussion is raised about the relationship between perceived, conceived and lived spaces as per Lefebvre’s analysis of the social construction of space. These classifications conceptualize the condition of the urban fabric and explain the process of transformation the spatial fabric underwent after the Lebanese civil war (after 1990). It goes on to confirm that Beirut is a divided city in the eyes of its own dwellers, later to reveal a hidden reality that affirms the existence of commonalities.
Posted in Rasha Sukkarieh, Uncategorized Tagged Beirut, divided cities, socially responsible planning, Urban Planning Comments closed
Living Screen // Robotic Fabrication of Algae based Gels
The debate linked to a more responsive architecture, connected to nature, has been growing since the 1960s. Notwithstanding this fact, to this day, architecture is somewhat conservative: following the same principles with the belief in rigidity, solidity, and longevity. Bio-inspiration highlights a sensitive observation of biological processes and their transfer into novel design methodologies for the creation of innovative architectural explorations.
This research proposed to explore the possibilities of creating living systems by means of novel fabrication techniques (robotics) using algae as a biomaterial, thus raising the question of how to design with a material that lives, grows and dies.
Posted in Irina Shaklova Tagged 3d printing, 3d printing algae, algae, architecture, bio-inspiration, bio-material, digital fabrication, growth, hydrogel, IaaC, living architecture, living screen, robotic fabrication, robotics Comments closed
BIO-CONCRETION
Seagrass possesses the special characteristic that it hardens over time. This process creates the seagrass roofs shapeless surface character. This kind of process is known, in the science of geology,as the process of concretion.
This thesis is dealing with how buildings can be a host for the nature by using seagrass as roof material. The goal is global usage, helping to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gasses worldwide by hosting a productive vegetation. The goal is reached by combining ancient thatching technique with seagrass learned from Læsø (Denmark) with modern digital fabrication and computational design. Read More
Posted in Tobias Grumstrup Tagged architecture, barcelona, bartlett, bio, bio-material, bio-mimicry, biomimic, concretion, denmark, fur, grasshopper, IaaC, insulation, lightweigh, lightweight structure, læsø, nature, seagrass, seaweed, structure, søgræs, tang, tobias, øhrstrøm Comments closed