Introductory Studio: G01 » admin

FALL TERM PRESENTATIONS – WHEN ENERGY BECOMES FORM

admin — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 19:40:15 +0000

This afternoon the Studio lead by Claudia Pasquero, Marco Poletto and Carmelo Zappulla, When Energy Becomes Form, presented their prototypes to an international jury composed by Silvia Bures (agricultural engineer), Joan García (GEMMA UPC), Tomasz Jaskiewicz (TU Delft), Manuel Kretzer (ETH Zurich), Mitchell Joachim (Terreform NY), Josep Muntañola (ETSAB UPC), Enrico Dini (D-Shape), Manuel Gausa (IAAC Dean) and Areti Markopoulou (MAA Director).

Energy is at the centre of the development of the contemporary urban landscape, however we are facing a situation where the energy structures of these cities are often segregated, hidden from the places of urban life. The bio-technological Prototypes presented aimed to subvert this paradigm of segregation, through the study of morphology, materiality and aesthetic novelty generating the emergent qualities of specific flows of energy and information.

When Energy Becomes Form Studio – Mid Term Review

admin — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 22:11:24 +0000

Today the When Energy Becomes Form Studio had their Mid Term Review with Claudia Pasquero, Marco Poletto and Carmelo Zappulla, as well as MAA Director Areti Markopoulou, during which the students presented the research developped until now as well as their bio-technological prototypes, presenting morphology, materiality and aesthetic novelty, through the emergent qualities of specific flows of energy and information.

Visit to the algae bioreactor and constructed wetlands of the GEMMA

admin — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 22:22:07 +0000

Today the MAA students of the Introductory Studio “When Energy Becomes Form” directed by Claudia Pasquero, Marco Poletto and Carmelo Zappulla, visited, with professor Silvia Bures, the algae bioreactor and constructed wetlands of the GEMMA- Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology at the Dept. of Hydraulics, Maritime and Environmental Engineering of Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, in Barcelona. The students were received by professor Joan Garcia, Head of the Department and director of the experiments, and also by Clara and Raquel, the PhD students working on the systems.

The installations, in the terrace of the University Building at Campus Nord, consist of a couple of algae bioreactors that treat wastewaters from the University area. The algae grow by catching the sun’s energy in form of Photosynthesis, and are fed by the nutrients dissolved in the wastewater. Periodically, the algae biomass is collected and it is transferred to a laboratory, were it is digested anaerobically to obtain biogas.

Also in the terrace the students could visit a series of constructed wetlands that are also used for treating wastewaters. In one of them they have installed a pair of electrodes that catch the energy from the redox reactions produced by the microbial activity that are in the soil.