Varianti compositive del laterizio.

Il complesso residenziale Novetredici a Milano descrive un nuovo tratto dell’evoluzione espressiva dello studio Cino Zucchi Architetti sul tema della facciata abitata, coerentemente con il linguaggio architettonico già sperimentato a Bologna nelle residenze di Trilogia Navile e ancor prima nella casa unifamiliare di Abbiategrass

Research and experimentation with technical textiles

This paper outlines the work being done by the Politecnico di Milano’s SPACE (Experimental process for architecture and life cycle of building products) research unit on the theme of textile architecture. It describes the major research done by the unit, giving a glimpse of the strategies put in place by the university and the European Union for pure research, applied research and even experimental design. The essay also presents some thoughts on the impact of technological research on a project and on the ability of technologist to contribute to the design process with ‘constructive imagination’ and with ‘non-routine skills’, encouraging cooperation between specialized areas and the achievement of goals using non-conflicting methods

Environment load of EFTE cushions and future ways for their self-sufficient performances

p. 754-766Monticelli, C.; Campioli, A.; Zanelli, A. (2009). Environment load of EFTE cushions and future ways for their self-sufficient performances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/673

TECHNICAL TEXTILES AND THIN INSULATION MATERIALS. NEW SCENARIOS FOR THE ENERGETIC RETROFITTING

In the building sector, there is a growing interest in the technical textiles, in particular as components for facades and also as potential replacements for the current options that seek energy efficiency through mass. The role of textiles in retrofitting from inside rooms is gaining more importance. The traditional wallpaper is evolving to interactive renovation possibilities by smart textiles, till to the thermal retrofitting. The paper deepens the feasible integration between wall covering textiles and thin super- insulating materials, coupling thermal function with sensorial and aesthetic ones. The goal is to identify which materials are suitable to achieve the new smart component

The Structural Behaviour of PTFE/Glass Fabric Structures Integrating Flexible Photovoltaic Modules

The work presented in this paper has been conducted as part of a finished PhD-thesis by Hend Mohamed Ibrahim entitled “Membrane Integrated Flexible Photovoltaics: Integrating Organic and Thin-Film Solar Modules into ETFE and PTFE/Glass Membrane Structures”

S(P)EEDKITS & smart packaging. Nuove applicazioni tessili per ridefinire la risposta alle emergenze

Il saggio traccia una visione d'insieme di S(P)EEDKITS, un progetto di ricerca co-finanziato dall'Unione Europea nell'ambito del Programma Quadro FP7 e, in particolare, si concentra sulle attività in corso da parte del Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) sui due diversi fronti del Design Industriale e della Tecnologia dell'architettura. L'ambito della progettazione dei nuovi kit di pronto intervento e ricostruzione in situazioni di disastro delinea una nuova frontiera per la Tecnologia dell'architettura, che si trova a coniugare la tradizionale vocazione della progettazione di componenti con le ricerche innovative sui tessili tecnici e sulle costruzioni leggere

Design tools for inflatable structures

This paper shows different tools and approaches that can be useful for the definition of the design of pneumatic structures. Some of these tools have been applied for the design of a Tensairity® hull

The Sustainability of Adaptive Envelopes: Developments of Kinetic Architecture

AbstractThe paper presents an overview of adaptable envelopes and shading systems applied in contemporary architecture; it offers a study of different design approaches and a brief analysis of exemplifying case studies. The aim of the research is the gathering of built examples relevant to outlining a state of the arts of adaptive façade systems and also understanding their environmental performances. Nowadays two different trends emerge in building development. On the one side the new challenge is given by the possibility to reconfigure the new spaces following environmental changes and users needs, while on the other the focus is on the increase of efficiency and the optimisation of materials for reducing energy consumptions in constructions. The building envelope is the primary subsystem through which external conditions and environmental changes can be regulated and therefore acquires great relevance in the development of new approaches to sustainable building solutions. In this review paper several examples are shown and compared, understanding the search for dynamics applied in architecture and the effectiveness from an environmental sustainability point of view

Life Cycle Design and Efficiency Principles for Membrane Architecture: Towards a New Set of Eco-design Strategies

The typical membranes for building are polymer-based materials, which have origin from fossil fuel. Nevertheless, they are supposed to become very lightweight building components, compared with other typical ones, and, due to their lightness, involve fewer stiffening structural materials (bio-based or not) than other traditional massive components. The need of understanding their real potentials and limits in terms of eco-efficiency is declared. The paper presents the research results about the eco-efficiency principles in the field of membrane architecture, based on the application of Life Cycle Assessment methodology to membrane structures. The paper presents a systematic review of the state of the art, with the aim to demonstrate the advantages of the Life Cycle Design strategy answering to the environmental sustainability. A comparison matrix about existing environmental data on membranes (environmental impacts, EPD, Recycling and up-cycling processes) and the LCA studies are part of the shown research output. On the need of harmonization of the research about the availability of LCA data for membranes and on the basis of the collected information, a first set of eco-design principles for membranes structures is proposed. Concluding, the authors reveal the current gap between the research studies and the real praxis in architectural design referred to a specific context and envisage further improvements of the application of the eco-efficiency principles starting from the early design phases