Modularity and adaptive architecture – A strategy for managing complex envelope systems

In the face of global climate change, the built environment is experiencing an increasing demand for energy to maintain indoor comfort conditions. Inspired by systemic thinking and biomimicry, adaptive architecture can give rise to complex building organisms that dynamically respond to environmental stimuli by modulating the physicality of their envelope, thereby reducing energy consumption for climate control. Illustrating a representative framework of projects and research highlights the role of modularity in adaptive architecture in terms of operational principles, control modes, response mechanisms, functional complexity, and structural complexity. This contribution underscores the centrality of modularity as a strategy to address the multidimensional complexity of technological systems for adaptive envelopes.   Article info Received: 08/09/2023; Revised: 14/10/2023; Accepted: 26/10/202

Energy communities: a tool to rehabilitate post-war reconstruction buildings

In 2050, about 80% of the European building stock will consist of buildings currently in use. In Italy, a significant share of such stock was built during post-war reconstruction through the Ina Casa social housing programme, which solved such problems as unemployment and housing demand. The rationale behind the building focussed on tradition and saving and drove the implementation of architectural solutions which do not meet the current European Green Deal requirements. Due to the energy crisis, such architectural solutions are also expensive to manage. The wish to rehabilitate the above-mentioned stock stimulates the adoption of new instruments, such as energy communities and participatory energy management models. These instruments achieve a sustainable energy set-up and drive both social and economic development

Natural fibers insulation panels: an adaptive production

The research team recently developed an innovative system with low environmental impact for the production of semi-rigid panels for thermal and acoustic insulation, obtained from recycled sheep's wool from Piemonte region. Starting from the previous work, a new semi-rigid panel has been produced, combining sheep wool with hemp technical fibers. Both sheep wool and hemp comes from agri-food systems and are considered as a wastes from existing production chains. Panels show low environmental impact and stiffness as main innovative features, if compared with other similar products on the market. A further experimentation phase allowed to improve the production process adaptability degree to the availability of natural by-products from local agri-food systems, with the aim to develop an “open recipe” able to answer to the building market different requests. The contribution presents the methodology adopted for the research in progress, the "open" technology assessment adopted for panels production and results of preliminary thermal tests

Natural Fibers Insulation Materials: Use of textile and agri-food waste in a circular economy perspective

Fibrous-based materials are among the most used for the thermal and acoustic insulation of building envelopes and among the ones with the best flexibility in use. In building construction, the demand for products with low environmental impact - in line with the Green Deal challenge of the European Community - is growing, but the building market is still mostly oriented towards traditional products, missing the many opportunities for using waste materials from existing industrial production. The paper presents the experimental results of new thermal and acoustic insulation products for building construction and interior design, based on previous experiences of the research group. They are entirely produced using waste sheep's wool as a "matrix" and other waste fibers, as "fillers". Proposed materials derive from textile and agro-industrial chains of Piedmont region and have no other uses, different from the thermal valorization as biomass. The panels have characteristics of rigidity, workability, and thermal conductivity that make them suitable for building envelope insulation

NATURAL FIBRE INSULATION MATERIALS: USE OF TEXTILE AND AGRI-FOOD WASTE IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY PERSPECTIVE

Fibrous materials are among those most used for the thermal and acoustic insulation of building envelopes and are also suitable for a wide range of applications. In building construction, the demand for products with low environmental impact - in line with the Green Deal challenge of the European Community - is growing, but the building market is still mostly oriented towards traditional products, missing the many opportunities for using waste materials from existing industrial production. The paper presents the experimental results of new thermal and acoustic insulation products for building construction and interior design, based on previous experiences of the research group. They are produced entirely using waste sheep's wool as a "matrix" and other waste fibres, as “fillers”. The materials proposed originate from textile and agri-industrial chains in the Piedmont region and have no uses other than waste-to-heat biomass. The panels have characteristics of rigidity, workability, and thermal conductivity that make them suitable for building envelope insulation

Cities in transformation.Computational urban planning through big data analytics.

Future scenarios foresee a city as a fragmented and uneven system in relation to rapidly evolving environmental, economic and social phenomena. The traditional urban planning tools, based on a theoretical-predictive appro-ach, adapt poorly. We need to rethink how to govern the transformations of a city, which can be described by models of urban metabolism. City Sensing has changed the way a city is explored and used. With the transition from di-gitisation to datafication, through a computational approach, one can process georeferenced datasets within algorithms in order to achieve a higher quality of the project. This process exploits data provided by public administrations, companies and citizens taking part in inclusive and adaptive urban planning.Keywords: City Sensing; Datafication; Big Data Analytics; Computational Urban Planning; Adaptive and Inclusive Urban Planning

Il progetto biomimetico. Eteronomia ed autopoiesi nell’integrazione tra tecnologia e biologia

L’applicazione del pensiero sistemico alla risoluzione della complessità nel progetto biomimetico consente di pervenire all’integrazione tecnologica tra sistemi biologici ed artificiali, realizzando un organismo edilizio autopoietico. L’emulazione della Natura nel progetto esige la contaminazione e l’ibridazione dei saperi. Le soluzioni di tipo meccanico o quelle legate alle proprietà dei materiali non sono le sole a cui l’architettura adattiva può fare ricorso nel replicare i processi naturali. Si illustrano esperienze che applicano, sia alla scala del manufatto architettonico sia alla scala urbana, strategie adattive autopoietiche del mondo naturale mediante l’integrazione tra tecnologia e biologia, al fine di mettere in luce il nesso tra progetto biomimetico ed eteronomia disciplinare

Un componente di facciata attivo integrato nell’edificio: dallo studio al prototipo innovativo Active façade component integrated into the building: from the study to the innovative prototype

L’articolo riporta i risultati di una ricerca condotta nell’ambito del progetto “Energyskin: facciate edilizie attive”, finanziato dalla Regione Piemonte e dal FSE (Fondo Sociale Europeo), tra partner industriali e accademici con l’obiettivo di sviluppare, monitorare e ottimizzare la progettazione di un componente di involucro dinamico adattivo innovativo che, integrando la tecnologia della pompa di calore e del solare termico, utilizza l’involucro come fonte/pozzo di recupero di calore. La ricerca prende avvio dall’ipotesi di mettere a sistema le competenze accademiche con quelle delle realtà industriali per innescare quel processo che porta all’innovazione, superando le barriere degli specialismi che, nella prassi corrente, caratterizzano sia gli specifici modelli funzionali delle aziende sia gli ambiti disciplinari accademici

Strategies for a Positive Anthropogenic Impact in Postwar Buildings

A significant portion of postwar buildings, typically concentrated in suburban areas, are now difficult assets to manage due to their poor sustainability and limited replacement feasibilities. This paper focuses on strategies to improve their metabolism using energy-saving measures based on optimizing energy needs and integrating internal and external energy sources: a new organizational model for energy management should focus first on saving energy, and then on the possibility of integration into a local energy network. This positively affects the anthropogenic impact and becomes a role model for aggregating buildings not only into a district system, but also into a wider, large-scale energy network. The paper shows a significant case study of actual retrofitting intervention that is examined in order to confirm the theoretical guidelines proposed in the first part of the paper. Moreover, another significant case study, taken from common practice, is illustrated, in which different levels of retrofitting are tested. While taking into account the complexity and fragmentation of private property both in a single building and in the city, some strategies are finally described with the aim of reducing the anthropic impact of the postwar building stock

Modular Lunar Hotel

The aim of this paper is to propose an innovative modular lunar hotel or outpost that can be assembled using the load capacity of future rockets Space X is at present developing and presumably will be opera- tional by 2025. In particular, the design is based on the Space X Starship, that will have the capability to land large and heavy payloads on the Moon. The lunar building is essentially made of four cylindrical modules assembled around one central distribution and service hub. These four modules, intended for housing, have a geodesic dome with large windows to observe the lunar environment surrounding the outpost. The entry point to the base is in the lower part of the central module, which is the only part of the building touching the ground and rests on four adjustable legs. The central module will be used for vertical connections and services as well as for hydroponic laboratories and greenhouses in which to grow the food the settlers will eat. The whole structure will be about 15m high and will be protected from cosmic radiation by a magnetic eld generated by a number of electric cables laid on a spherical structure made of in a table high pressure tubes. The modules can be made of light materials since the protection from radiation is supplied by the magnetic eld, and need only a thermal insulating layer, which can be fairly light. The whole structure can thus be carried from Earth without the need of manufacturing it on site. As an added advantage, large windows can be present, mainly in the a top domes/observatories, which will be the characteristic elements of the installation. The cylindrical modules have a diameter of 6m, suitable to be transported in the cargo hold of the Starship. To reach an height of 15m, they are made in sections and then assembled on site. The modules will be lowered from the hold of the Starship by means of the crane with which each spaceship is equipped. Before starting the assembly of the modules, self-propelled cranes and vehicles will be carried to the Moon so that the construction site of the hotel/outpost can be relatively distant from the landing area. These construction machines will then remain available for other construction projects on the Moon. A total of about 10 launches are expected to be required to carry to the Moon all parts needed to build the facility