Insulated Membrane Kit for Emergency Shelters: Product Development and Evaluation of Three Different Concepts

The paper deals with the development of a novel winterized textile partition to accommodate refugees during a humanitarian crisis. The research has been developed within S(P)EEDKITS, a four year research project (March 2012 - February 2016) in which research institutes, universities, companies operating in the emergency sector and non-profit organizations have rethought shelters, medical care resources and other facilities provided in case of natural disaster and conflicts. The S(P)EEDKITS project aimed to scrutinize materials and equipment of the Emergency Response Units (ERUs) that are currently used by humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and to develop novel solutions which drastically reduce their deployment time, the volume and weight for transportation. Solutions needed to be clever and durable enough so that the affected population can use them also during the reconstruction phase. This dual approach - speed and seed - was crucial as the recent trend in emergency aid for organizations is not only to stimulate as early as possible the self-repair, but also to support the transitional period and the reconstruction. Starting from a detailed analysis of the state of the art, the research group of Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) worked on the design of innovative shelter solutions and their packages, in order to add values in terms of ease of transport and set up. Through the multidisciplinary approach that involved several partners of the collaborative project, a list of metrics scored three diverse shelter concepts; one of them was prototyped in ten units and tested by Senegal and Luxembourg Red Cross delegations. Insulated Membrane Kit for Emergency Shelters: Product Development and Evaluation of Three Different Concepts. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307475459_Insulated_Membrane_Kit_for_Emergency_Shelters_Product_Development_and_Evaluation_of_Three_Different_Concepts [accessed Apr 19, 2017]

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