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CategoriesArchitecture

One Rendering Challenge 2022: Competition Winners Announced!

By Zarkon Group,

Architizer is delighted to reveal the Winners and Commended Entries for the 2022 One Rendering Challenge, architecture’s biggest rendering competition! After a meticulous review by our incredible panel of visualization experts, 2 Top Winners came out on top, each winning themselves $2,500 and professional rendering software packages from Chaos Group.

The Top Non-Student Prize went to Swiss designer and illustrator Arnaud Imobersteg, for his visualization “Shanty Stack“. Imobersteg’s atmospheric image — coupled with an evocative written story — proved highly compelling to jurors. “I highly admire the creative spirit and imagination that ‘Shanty Shack’ brings,” said Mengyi Fan, Director of Visualization at SHoP Architects.

Meanwhile, the Top Student Prize went to Christian Coackley, student at the University College of London (UCL), for “22 Gordon Street” — a mysterious and detailed reimagining of UCL’s famous Bartlett School of Architecture building. “’22 Gordon Street’ illustrates how architectural rendering can be used to tell an epic tale about the malleable and perpetually evolving nature of our built environment”, commented Architizer’s Editor in Chief, Paul Keskeys.

Now in its third year, the One Rendering Challenge entrants continue to raise the bar for story telling through architectural visualization. “I want to commend not only the continuing improvements in image quality, but also the quality of the architectural design in some of the more imaginative works,” commented Fan. “In general, the work has been as diverse and as high-quality as ever.”

Without further ado, explore the Winners and Commended Entries for this year’s competition below, and let us know your favorites on social media using the hashtag #OneRenderingChallenge!

Non-Student Winner: “Shanty Stack” by Arnaud Imobersteg

“The sun is warming the air as the market is closing now. My shirt is already sticking to my skin. They advised to avoid going out, but I feel good, I’m only coughing.”

Shanty Stack Detail

“Uncle Alisha is saying he got sick because it’s not air anymore, he says that before we used to see the sky and it was blue.

But I don’t know — maybe he’s just getting old; he’s already 37.

The Stack is constantly growing as new people are moving in. Are they coming from Above?”

Software used: Blender and Photoshop

Student Winner: “22 Gordon Street” by Christian Coackley, The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London (UCL)

“In light of enduring issues we are facing globally, such as a climate and ecological emergency, schools of architecture must nurture a culture of collaboration in architectural education to meaningfully address them. Therefore the drawing speculates on the third iteration of The Bartlett School of Architecture. In contrast to the building’s previous 2 iterations, Wates House (1975) and The Bartlett (2016), this next installment of the school will be constructed over the course of a 1000 years by the students and tutors themselves.”

“The future generations of the building’s inhabitants will recover a lost material culture of hand-crafted ceramics. This interchangeable orchestra of students and tutors will weave themselves together through the poetic symphony of a shared material culture, ushering in a new era in architectural education: The Age of Belonging.”

Software used: Photoshop, ZBrush

Commended Entry: “Poles and umbrellas” by HISM Studio

“Rainy evening in downtown New York. Wet asphalt, night city lights, and the never-sleeping life in the Big Apple.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop

Juror Carlotta Cominetti comment: “Living Characters and architecture are melted together, through darkness and expressive lights. What makes the composition powerful and charming is the play of reflections and glares; it’s a great work of sculpting, where everything is highlighted as if we were attending a real theatre performance.”

Commended Entry: “The Lantern” by Evan Mott

“On December 21, 1848, a white plantation owner, traveling with his enslaved servant, passed through the Central of Georgia Railroad terminal in Savannah, seeking medical care in Boston.

Or so it seemed.

In actuality, the pair were Ellen and William Craft. Enslaved since birth, the married couple devised an artful plan of escape in which fair-skinned Ellen disguised herself as William’s white owner. Four terrifying days and 1,000 miles later, they successfully carried their lantern to freedom. They would devote their lives to exposing the dark brutalities of slavery, lighting the way to liberty for others.

Today the same railroad terminal, reimagined as the SCAD Museum of Art, carries its own lantern. The glow of the 85-foot glass tower reminds us that Craft-like creativity and courage are essential in building and protecting the delicacy of equity and freedom.

Thank you, SCAD, for telling this story.”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Photoshop, Other

Juror Alex Hogrefe’s comment: “This image has a beautiful composition and proportion to it, as well as a great story, and is also really well crafted.”

Commended Entry: “WAVE” by Roman Huzar

“The unity of nature and architectural form. The architecture seems to echo the shapes of the swans that live there, turning into waves and distorting the shape. It’s like a big stroke trying to unite the architecture with its surroundings by repeating it.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop

Commended Entry: “Up In The Air” by Vittorio Bonapace

“The First Settlement on Mars.

The author imagined the first Colony – not so far in the future – inhabiting the sky into high-altitude balloons, leaving Mars’s surface for laboratories, roads, research and science experiments.
“Up In The Air ” – Visual part of a set of three illustrations – it’s not about the first epic human’s landing on the planet but the whole concept is about the confidence of living there, enjoying home.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop, Other

Commended Entry: “Copenhagen Opera House” by Antonio D’avolio

“The image depicts one of the icons of the city of Copenhagen, the Opera house, designed by the Danish architect Henning Larsen between 2001 and 2004. During my trip to the Danish capital I took some photos of it and used them as a reference to reproduce this personal work of mine. I focused my attention on reproducing a lighting that could emphasize not only the building but the whole context. I hope you like it!”

Software used: 3ds Max, Rhino, Corona Renderer, Photoshop

Commended Entry: “Sunset Love” by Mark Eszlari

“Churches are sacred spaces where people unite spiritually with a higher power. We enter churches when faced by pure and meaningful emotions like true love. Churches are therefore unique types of architecture where humans can express their deepest feelings through prayers influencing their psychology, philosophy and lifestyle. Love at first sight usually culminates in a church during the wedding ceremony.

The illustrated couple expresses their love for one another, sharing a kiss at sunset, before climbing the stairs to enter this sacred space while the priest looks after them with his prayers, binding the souls together to be one. The design of the church is inspired by praying hands pointing towards heaven, the location by Greek islands. The elements such as the red roses, symbol of love, the sunset and staircase to the church contribute to the romantic emotions adding warmth to the image, a metaphor for hearts in love.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop

Commended Entry: “House in the Karpathians” by Nazarii Derkach, HISM Studio

“An ode to minimalism and graphics. We play with shapes and elements of nature. Experimenting with the horse figures, wintery landscape, and minimalist structures gave us what we needed: a balance of sharpness and sinuosity.

Our team has made these images for a small house surrounded by Karpathian mountains.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop

Juror Duy Phan’s comment: “The humble muted color palette the artist used in this image helps strengthen a striking yet interesting contrast between the foreground element and the architecture context. Not only drawing the attention but such simplicity obsessively stucks in viewers mind. By breaking conventional rules, the image shows how confident the artist is; their masterful skills bring back the depth of the environment layers as well as a keen eye for mix mediums usage without losing the overall natural sense. This might be a good example for the thinking that, to make art better, try taking something out rather than adding in.”

Commended Entry: “About Storeys and Stories” by Guilherme Marcondes

“People is what gives architecture life. With all their different lights and colors, they make the spaces alive. When designing a façade, a lot of effort is put into the relation with the exterior environment. With this rendering I wanted to focus on the role that the interior spaces play in a façade. Each of these windows have a story to tell, a feeling to show, a thought going on.

Home can have a lot of meanings: it’s where we come after work, rest, see our loved ones. It’s where we process the thing that happened outside, where we plan the things we want to do outside. Most importantly, it’s where we can show our true colors: sometimes bright, strong and warm. Sometimes soft, cold and blue. Through the day and the night the façade is where we see not just the city, but also the people’s light.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop

“REMEMBRANCE” by Zoe Russian Moreno

“Memories and dreams sometimes go hand in hand. The combination of reality and fantasy is an intrinsic force that supplies the creative portfolio of an artistic mind with endless possibilities. Nevertheless, even with all the infinite pieces put together sometimes one can’t help but look into triggers of certain spaces that take you back into specific moments of life.

This particular studio is a combination of said moments in time; clutter in respective areas, materiality, scale, objects and the conglomeration of mechanical pieces grounds the imagery, which brings a sense of character that many people resonate with. It’s a sense of remembering a space that does not exist. A remembrance.”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Photoshop

“The Built Environment” by Wilson Costa

“This piece is more of a political statement to depict how the built environment can affect nature. The columns represent tall leafless trees in the forest. The concrete floors are dried out soil. The lack of color represents most architecture today which is very monochromatic and dull without paying homage to the nature around it. The architecture industry needs to embrace nature more by incorporating living walls, green roofs, natural light and color.”

Software used: SketchUp, Photoshop

Juror Bennet Oh offered a reflection on this year’s Finalists: “Visual storytelling has never been more important than in the era of metaverse and NFTs. These technologies have proven that visualization is no longer just a supplement to show what is to be, but the product itself. This year’s One Rendering Challenge has shown some of the brightest talents in the industry, demonstrating their ability to create substance out of thin air. I thoroughly enjoyed the works of entrants who challenged themselves to not only pursue realism but also create a real ‘value’. Congratulations to all entrants for their achievements!”

Revealed last month, the top 100 renderings were published in our special editorial feature, entitled “100 Renderings That Tell Powerful Stories about Architecture”. There will also be further features on the winners in the coming weeks.

Thank you to all participants for their hard work in creating these amazing renderings, each telling a fascinating story about architecture and our world today. Our next challenge, the 3rd Annual One Photo Challenge, is one of architecture’s biggest architectural photography competitions, and it launches on May 9th — sign up now to receive key updates and prepare your submission:

Pre-Register for the One Photo Challenge

Reference

Turning wind, water, and air into green fuel
CategoriesSustainable News

Turning wind, water, and air into green fuel

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: At the very bottom of Chile, not far from Antarctica, is the wild and rugged region of Magallanes. Known for the constancy and strength of its wind, the area has traditionally supported a variety of farms along with a sizeable tourism industry. But now, Chile’s largest and southernmost region has been chosen as the setting for an innovative, $55 million (€50.6 million) facility that is exploring the commercialisation of synthetic fuel.

The project—called ‘Haru Oni’—is an initiative of startup Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF). The first-of-its-kind facility is designed to convert three ingredients, wind, water, and air, into a green fuel that could play an important role in the energy revolution.

The project combines the products of two separate processes: electrolysis and carbon capture. In the first, an on-site wind turbine produces an electric current that separates hydrogen from water. In the second, carbon dioxide is captured from atmospheric air and industrial sources. The CO2 and hydrogen are then combined to create a fuel that can be used in a range of everyday applications.

The process is billed by the company as ‘carbon neutral’, and two features in particular earn it this label. First, the hydrogen produced at the site is ‘green hydrogen’, as the electricity used to power the process comes from renewable wind energy that does not emit any carbon. Second, because the CO2 used to create the fuel is ‘recycled’ from the atmosphere, when the fuel is ultimately burned the CO2 released is not ‘new’. Instead, burning the fuel merely returns CO2 captured at the start of the process back into the atmosphere. This contrasts with the burning of fossil fuels which releases carbon that had previously been stored in the earth for millions of years.

The facility remains under construction and is due to begin production later in the year. Once up and running, the company says the site is capable of manufacturing 130,000 litres of fuel per year. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will monitor the volumes of carbon captured and produced in order to verify the project’s carbon neutrality. 

Synthetic fuels are an important area of innovation, and Springwise has spotted several similar processes, such as an integrated process that turns hydrogen and CO2 into aviation fuel, a Canadian facility that creates fuel from thin air, and an eKerosene plant in Germany that will produce up to eight barrels per day in 2022.

Written By: Keely Khoury

22nd April 2022

Email: contacto@hif.cl

Website: hif.cl/en

Reference

The Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center
CategoriesArchitecture

The Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center

By Zarkon Group,

Have your say in which architects will take home Architizer’s prestigious A+Awards: Public Voting opens this spring. Interested in next year’s program? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.  

As architecture firms across the United States join the AIA’s 2030 Commitment and integrate more sustainable practices into their work, effectively communicating the energy benefits of any given project during and after the design process is an ever-present challenge. Following a project’s completion, a plaque denoting an energy certification such as LEED may be installed on the building if it has achieved this accreditation, however, this doesn’t do much to educate the average person about what design elements actually contribute to this building’s energy efficiency. The way in which buildings, their systems and the environment interact is a complex equation that culminates in a calculated Energy Use Index (EUI) for any given project, which can vary over the course of its lifespan.

According to the International Energy Agency, architecture and its associated construction industry are responsible for approximately one third of total global energy consumption and nearly 15% of direct CO2 emissions, with energy demand from buildings continuing to rise. It is therefore imperative for new projects to not only aim for carbon neutrality and net zero status, but to also educate their inhabitants more globally about the impact of sustainability on the built environment.

With this in mind, in 2020 nARCHITECTS completed a pioneering facility that effectively visualizes how energy consumption shapes both architectural form and the natural environment. The project originally materialized when the New York State Parks Department asked nARCHITECTS to turn their attention towards a minor, ongoing renovation of a nature center at Jones Beach, that was in the planning stages at the time. The project’s ambition continued to grow as it developed, and the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center eventually came to encompass an energy education center, a series of support offices, classrooms and a continuous sequence of exhibition spaces.

Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center © nARCHITECTS

The final budget, including the landscape and exhibitions, was roughly $30 million. Slightly under half of that total sum was contributed by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which makes annual contributions and has partial curatorial oversight of the gallery spaces. This investment arrived on the heels of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, as New York State began to pursue an aggressive clean energy plan through capital investments, systemic changes and collaborations between policymakers, energy producers and the public. 

A shaded porch creates a constant interplay of shifting shadows. © nARCHITECTS

As a net-zero targeted building that permanently monitors and displays its own energy performance, the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center is a true model for all projects that seek to enlighten visitors about their own carbon footprint and the ways that we can all become more conscientious environmental agents. The building has a thin, linear footprint that is born from the location of existing foundations and a concrete sub-surface belonging to a boathouse that formerly occupied the site.

At 320 feet in length, this single-story structure treads lightly on the site and functions as a gateway to the beautiful natural environment of Jones Beach. The building has a simple form, with a series of Northeastern-oriented sloped roofs and clerestory windows punctuating the long elevation to create the sensation of a set of rolling waves moving toward the shore. A cedar-clad canopy wraps the building on all sides, creating a continuous shaded porch that results in a continuously shifting pattern of shadows.

Clerestory windows bring light down into the gallery spaces. © nARCHITECTS

Inside, the gallery spaces feature plentiful glazing, creating a bright environment that consistently makes visual connections to the surrounding environment; a far cry from the typical white box gallery environment, completely divorced from its context. The Lobby and South Gallery explore the history of Long Island’s energy network, while the East Gallery investigates “The Power of Nature” through exhibits on the surrounding ecosystem, landscape conservation and habitat restoration. The West Gallery focuses on “The Nature of Energy,” through exhibits on natural energy sources, energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy technologies, embodied energy, and the impact of extreme weather on our power grid.

Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center Diagram © nARCHITECTS

Geothermal wells provide heating and cooling throughout the interior, while 260 photovoltaic panels provide enough energy to allow the building to operate off-grid for 6 hours. The Nature Center is educational for visitors in both its overall form and exhibition content, as it successfully outlines the role of energy in New Yorker’s lives and how thoughtful, site responsive architecture can minimize our impact on the environment. 

Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center © nARCHITECTS

What better place than Jones Beach to juxtapose the relationship between our built and natural environments. Structures like this one are a critical part of addressing the climate crisis, meeting sustainability goals, enhancing resilience, and supporting more equitable communities, as we move towards a less destructive future.

Have your say in which architects will take home Architizer’s prestigious A+Awards: Public Voting opens this spring. Interested in next year’s program? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.  

Reference

Using AI to build animal-free proteins and preservatives
CategoriesSustainable News

Using AI to build animal-free proteins and preservatives

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Lab-grown food is no longer science fiction. As alternatives to traditionally farmed ingredients, cultured meats can replace almost any animal product with a more sustainable version. Now, Chilean biotech startup Protera is using artificial intelligence (AI) to copy the amino acid structures of naturally occurring proteins – such as those in flowers. Once a complete protein is built, the company uses fermentation to produce the ingredient at scale.

Fermentation produces the proteins much faster than a farmer can grow a crop or raise an animal, and in much less space. Far fewer resources are used, and emissions are much lower than in traditional agriculture. Since the proteins are exact copies of naturally occurring ones, they can be used as direct substitutes for a number of ingredients, including palm oil, chemically hydrogenated fats, and additives that extend the long-term shelf life of foods.

Currently, the company has four proteins in pilot or development stages. Protera Guard is a protein with anti-mould properties designed specifically to help make baked goods last longer on shelves. Protera Sense is a plant-based oil used for texture in foods as an alternative to dangerous trans-fats and palm oil. Antioxidant and foaming and emulsifying proteins are two others that are also being developed, with the foaming version capable of being used as an egg replacement.

Springwise has spotted a number of developments in the cultured food industry, with fermentation replicating the tasty fats from animal meat for better tasting plant-based meat and dairy substitutes, and a new molecular process turning plant crop cells into dairy proteins. 

Written by: Keely Khoury

22nd April 2022

Email: info@proterabio.com

Website: proterabio.com

Reference

Tackling Embodied Carbon in Retrofits
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Tackling Embodied Carbon in Retrofits

By Zarkon Group,

A firm specializing in remodeling rethinks its approach to attic and roof insulation to lower embodied carbon.

By Rachel White

In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put the world on notice: To avert catastrophic and irreversible climate change, we will have to hold global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. And to keep warming at this level, we must cut global emissions roughly in half by 2030 and get to zero by 2050.

Building Sector Contributions to Global Warming

The building sector is a huge part of the problem, accounting for roughly 40% of global annual emissions. And while our industry has made progress, we haven’t done nearly enough.

Along with the work of organizations such as the Carbon Leadership Forum and Architecture 2030, the IPCC report was a wake-up call about the time value of carbon. Larry Strain, a board member at the Carbon Leadership Forum, describes it this way: “Because emissions are cumulative and we have a limited amount of time to reduce them, carbon reductions now have more value than carbon reductions in the future [emphasis added].”

Carbon Reduction Strategies                                                          

Three strategies are critical to achieving meaningful near-term reductions in building sector emissions. First, we need to repurpose buildings rather than build new ones wherever possible. Second, we need to aggressively reduce the operating emissions of existing buildings. Third, we need to build with low embodied carbon materials and ideally with carbon-storing materials.

The first two strategies are firmly ensconced at Byggmeister. We don’t do new construction, we avoid additions, and we pursue operational emissions reductions whenever possible. However, until the last couple of years, we had not paid much attention to embodied carbon. We assumed that whatever carbon we emitted to renovate and retrofit homes would be balanced by operational savings over decades. But this assumption was flawed.

Embodied Carbon Emissions

So, we turned our attention to embodied emissions, focusing first on insulation. As remodeling contractors, we know that insulation is high leverage, especially because closed-cell spray foam—one of the highest embodied carbon insulation materials on the market—has long been a go-to insulation material for us. There are good reasons we have relied so heavily on closed-cell spray foam. It blocks air leaks in addition to reducing conductive heat loss; it’s vapor impermeable; and it’s highly versatile. But none of these is a good reason to maintain the status quo.

Deciding When to Use Foam

There are times when replacing spray foam with a carbon smarter material is a no-brainer. For example, installing cellulose in wood-framed walls is typically no more complex than insulating with spray foam, not to mention less expensive and less disruptive. And while the R-value of a cellulose-insulated wall is lower than the same wall insulated with closed-cell spray foam (unless the wall assembly is thickened), we believe this compromise is worth it. The reduced R-value has little impact on comfort and the carbon benefit more than makes up for it. Unlike spray foam, which emits a lot of carbon before, during, and immediately after installation ( especially true of closed-cell spray foam with high-embodied-carbon blowing agents), cellulose actually stores carbon.  

There are other cases, though, such as with rubble foundation walls, when we feel spray foam is the only viable choice, other than not insulating at all. While we have entertained this possibility, we aren’t willing to give up remediating dank, damp basements, although we have begun to think about these as emissions that should be offset with more aggressive carbon-storing measures elsewhere.

Roof Insulation Challenges

Much of the time, though, the choice to eliminate or retain spray foam isn’t clear-cut. We encounter many roofs and attics where existing conditions, code requirements, and broader project goals make it challenging but not impossible to avoid spray foam.

If the attic is unconditioned, then the easiest, most cost-effective strategy is to air seal any penetrations along the attic floor and then re-insulate (in most cases, we would first remove existing insulation).

But this only works if there’s no mechanical equipment (and ideally no storage). If the attic is used for anything other than insulation, best practice is to bring the attic space indoors, either by insulating the underside of the roof sheathing with spray foam or by removing the roofing, insulating the topside of the roof sheathing with rigid foam and then re-roofing.

If the roof needs to be replaced, “outsulation” might initially seem viable. But I can count on one hand the times we have actually done it. More often than not, it’s doomed by cost or adverse architectural consequences. This is why spray foam has long been our go-to approach for unconditioned attics with HVAC equipment.

New Approaches for Lower Carbon

At least it was until we realized just how carbon-intensive it is. We came to this realization by comparing the embodied emissions of spray foam against four alternatives. We based these comparisons on a simple gable-roof form. The four alternatives we looked at were: 

* A low-foam approach of building down the rafter bays, insulating with closed-cell foam for condensation control, followed by cellulose behind a smart membrane.

* A no-foam approach where the air and thermal boundary remains at the attic floor. We install the air handler in a conditioned “head house” and bury the ductwork in cellulose. 

* A common outsulation approach with cellulose in the rafter bays plus exterior polyisocyanurate board foam.

* A newer, no-foam outsulation approach with cellulose in the rafter bays plus exterior wood fiber board.                                                                                                                                                                                          All of these approaches, including exterior polyisocyanurate, are either carbon neutral or carbon storing from the outset. Only spray foam starts off in carbon debt.

This chart shows the embodied carbon of several options for insulating the attic floor or the roof. Chart courtesy Byggmeister.

What we call the “low foam” approach includes 3 inches of closed-cell spray foam on the underside of the roof deck plus 8 inches of cellulose and a membrane to control moisture. Illustration courtesy Byggmeister.

And this debt is not small. Our modeling suggests this particular measure would take 14 years of operational carbon savings to break even. Even if our model isn’t exact, it’s close enough to know that spray foam should not be our default approach if there are viable, lower emitting alternatives.

In Two Carbon Smart Ideas for the Attic, we walk through the no-foam, head house approach in detail. We also describe our efforts to develop a carbon-smart approach to another common attic/roof condition: poorly insulated, finished slopes. When such slopes are topped by a “micro attic,” we are experimenting with dense-packing the slopes, installing loose-fill cellulose along the floor of the micro-attic, and adding a ridge vent.

We Must Take Risks

Both of these approaches seemed impractical when we first took them on. Both present some level of risk. Because of code constraints, the second one may not be broadly replicable even if we can demonstrate that the risk is manageable. But if we are going to cut global carbon emissions in half by 2030 and get to zero by 2050, we’ll have to take some risks and pursue approaches that aren’t (yet) standard practice. By sharing our story, we hope to inspire more of our colleagues to join in this effort.

Rachel White is the CEO of Byggmeister, a design-build remodeling firm in Newton, Mass. This article was first published in Green Building Advisor.

 

 

 

 

Reference

Subtractive Manufacturing: The Quiet Machine Revolution that is Reshaping Architecture
CategoriesArchitecture

Subtractive Manufacturing: The Quiet Machine Revolution that is Reshaping Architecture

By Zarkon Group,

Browse the Architizer Jobs Board and apply for architecture and design positions at some of the world’s best firms. Click here to sign up for our Jobs Newsletter.

Architecture is defined by materials and construction. In terms of building envelopes, structures, and systems, there are two primary manufacturing methods used. Additive manufacturing processes add material layer-by-layer, while subtractive manufacturing removes material to create building components or parts. Additive manufacturing, usually under the umbrella of 3D printing, is increasingly well-known, but subtractive methods have been used throughout history. In modern architecture, designers, fabricators, and manufacturers are reimagining the possibilities of subtractive manufacturing to create new forms and spaces for contemporary life.

Subtractive manufacturing is an umbrella term for different kinds of controlled machining and material removal processes. These are either performed manually or more commonly, driven by computer numerical control (CNC). Subtractive methods can start with solid blocks or material forms made from metals, plastics, wood, or other materials that are shaped through boring, cutting, drilling, and grinding. This machining process spans from CNC methods to electrical discharge machining in hard metals, as well as laser cutting (for thermoplastics, wood, acrylic, fabrics, metals) and water jet cutting for plastics, hard and soft metals, stone, glass and composites.

Mold Tool

A two-part mold tool from MDF being machined with a 1/16″ flat end mill. Courtesy Portland CNC

The key advantage to subtractive manufacturing is that it’s ideal for tight tolerances and geometries that are difficult to mold, cast, or produce with traditional machining. Larger, less complex objects also tend to lend themselves more to subtractive manufacturing. This machining process is also most often the choice for fabricating finished parts. Subtractive manufacturing processes can create parts for prototyping, manufacturing tooling, and end-use parts. The following projects showcase how subtractive manufacturing processes are leading innovations in design and construction, and what the future of these methods might hold.

By Bernard Tschumi Architects, Tianjin, China

 

The Binhai Science Museum was designed to showcase artifacts from Tianjin’s industrial past through large-scale contemporary technology, including spectacular rockets for space research. The project is part of the city’s Binhai Cultural Center and contains facilities for cultural events and exhibitions as well as galleries, offices, and restaurant and retail spaces. The project was made to relate to the rich industrial history of the area, the site of high-volume manufacturing and research. A series of large-scale cones create major rooms throughout the museum. The central cone, lit from above, connects all three levels of the building.

The exterior of the museum is covered with aluminum rain screen over a sealed aluminum surface, giving the building a unified presence despite its large size and the disparate elements of the structure. Approximately 3,600 copper-colored panels in two sizes (4×7 ft and 4×11.5 ft) make up the flat portions of the building’s façade. The perforated metal panels also help reduce heat gain. The design team developed 52 different sizes of panels with each row of the cones corresponding to a unique width. Each panel is backed by two aluminum U-channels located between the perforations.

By Acton Ostry Architects, Vancouver, Canada

Completed in 2017, Brock Commons Tallwood House is an 18-story, LEED Gold certified, 404-bed student residence building located at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. It was the world’s tallest mass wood tower at the time of its completion. The timber structure and prefabricated facade also went up in only 66 days.

Key to receiving approvals and achieving economic viability was a “keep it simple” design approach that makes the building appear ordinary through encapsulation of the wood structure with gypsum board. The prefabricated facade, arranged in a pattern of vertical striations, features pre-installed windows and cladding consisting of 70% wood fibers.

A CLT canopy runs the length of a curtain wall base, which reveals the warm wood finishes of amenity spaces within. Elevator lobbies are clad with the same material as the exterior. Hallway finishes include natural wood doors and a palette of rich umber and ochre accent finishes. Living unit interiors are bright white, spare and simple.

CNC machines cut all the mass-timber components, including the penetrations in the CLT panels and the connection holes in both ends of the columns. A unique identifier was assigned to each mass-timber component for quality-assurance and quality-control tracking and on-site measurement of the structural system assembly heights.

By Morphosis Architects, New York, NY, United States

The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center is the academic hub of the new Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island. With the goal of becoming a net zero building, The Bloomberg Center forms the heart of the campus, bridging academia and industry while pioneering new standards in environmental sustainability through state-of-the-art design. T

he Bloomberg Center is a four-story building set beneath a photovoltaic canopy, with a low and narrow profile framing stunning views across the island. One of the building’s most distinctive features is its façade, optimized to balance transparency —maximizing daylighting and exterior views, and opacity — while ensuring sufficient insulation and reducing thermal bridging.

Designed as a rain screen system, the outermost layer of the façade is composed of aluminum panels surfaced in an iridescent, PPG polymer coating. Designed in collaboration with Zahner, an architectural metal fabricator, the façade utilizes Zahner’s Louvered ZIRA™ system to create the image patterning.

Each pixel of the image is translated into the specific turn-and-tilt of a two-inch circular tab punched into the aluminum paneling; the depth and rotation of each tab determines the amount of light reflected. This pixel map was fed into a repurposed welding robot, which processed the digital information into the mechanical turning-and-tilting of the façade’s 337,500 tabs.

By Partisans, Georgian Bay, Canada

Perched on an island’s edge in Georgian Bay, Ontario, the Grotto Sauna is a feat of old-world craftsmanship and new world sustainability made possible by cutting-edge software and fabrication technology. The selected concept for the Grotto prescribed a solid, simple presence on the exterior, while the interior followed dynamic air movements in curvature forms; requiring design solutions.

As a result, the team proceeded to experiment further with the materials, and selected wood as the primary medium. Importantly, the Grotto established a successful methodology for addressing the challenges of building ambitious architecture in remote and environmentally sensitive regions.

Partisans collaborated directly with their fabrication partner, MCM Inc., to develop new prototyping methods and with engineers and develop novel software patches for the toolpaths. The latter enabled the fabricators to override the automated limitations of the CNC machinery and ultimately use it as a sculpting tool to achieve the aesthetic vision, all the while maximizing the available wood and milling along the grain so that the pieces would match one another. The successful production of the panels also had to anticipate the method by which they would be sequentially assembled. This required the team to develop a sophisticated installation plan in tandem with the fabrication process.

By Bjarke Ingels Group and JDS Architects, København, Denmark

When Bjarke Ingels Group and JDS Architects set out to create The Mountain residential project, it was the 2nd generation of the VM Houses: same client, same size and same street. The program, however, is 2/3 parking and 1/3 living. What if the parking area became the base upon which to place terraced housing, like a concrete hillside covered by a thin layer of housing cascading from the 11th floor to the street edge? Rather than doing two separate buildings next to each other — a parking and a housing block — the team decided to merge the two functions into a symbiotic relationship.

The parking floors are covered with a continuous perforated aluminum surface, folding into four parts from the southern to the eastern facades. This controls sunlight and air circulation. The folded surface makes reference to the name of the project, displaying a realistic image of Mount Everest.

For its aluminum panel facade, each perforation plays a specific part in the composition of the image. In some parts, perforations are so large and dense that there is almost no visual restriction between inside and outside. During the day, the perforation in the aluminum plates appears black on the bright aluminum, and the mountain image resembles a roughly rasterized photo. At night time, the facade is lit from the inside and appears as a photo negative in different colors as each floor in the parking area has different colors.

Courtesy Portland CNC

Today, subtractive manufacturing is being radically reimagined. We are seeing projects where 4D self-transforming materials respond to changes in heat, sound, or moisture levels to change shape. Subtractive manufacturing also offers a variety of material and processing methods for diverse design applications. As the process of building evolves, the convergence of technologies opens new possibilities for architecture, design and machining.

Browse the Architizer Jobs Board and apply for architecture and design positions at some of the world’s best firms. Click here to sign up for our Jobs Newsletter.

Reference

CategoriesSustainable News

Just Add Water: 7 Hybrid Homes Innovating in Water Conservation and Treatment

By Zarkon Group,

Judging is now underway for the 10th Annual A+Awards Program! Want to earn global recognition for your projects? Sign up to be notified when the 11th Annual A+Awards program launches. 

Sustainability is an incredibly important consideration in the architecture and construction industry. More and more architects are trying to incorporate environmentally conscious materials, construction techniques and solar power sources in their proposals. In addition, algae reactors and biogas chambers also gaining traction in conceptual ideas. While methods focused on carbon capture and reducing energy consumption are crucial, there are many more ways that architectural design can structure more sustainable lifestyles.

For example, potable water is a limited resource that often goes to waste in western countries. Indeed, there is a growing consciousness about water conservation across all industries. Architecture is no exception and such considerations are on the rise there as well. A variety of methods can be employed to either capture rainwater and filter it for use, or treat the wastewater generated by the house and reuse it. The homes below show how water conservation and treatment strategies can be accommodated in home structures.

Sail House by David Hertz Architects, Studio of Environmental Architecture, Grenadines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Jury Winner, 2021 A+Awards, Residential – Private House XL (> 6,000 sq ft)

Capped with an iconic roof profile, The Sail House appears like a land yacht. The dappled array of structures are integrated into the tropical jungle and nod to local sailing culture. Considering the difficulty of construction in the Caribbean, the buildings are all prefabricated and flat-packed to the island in containers in a zero-waste system developed especially for this project; the construction cost worked out to be less than $250.00/sqft.

The swooping forms of the tensile roof membranes provide deep shade from the equatorial sun and collect rain, which funnels into structural aluminum masts and down to the concrete foundations that dually function as large cisterns that provide 100% of the water demands for use on the property.

ReYard House I Team Bosphorus by studio hcrbzkrt, Ben Guerir, Morocco

A combination of local materials, easy construction techniques and sustainable systems used in the modular home gained it multiple awards in the Solar Decathlon, an energy-efficient building competition. The home gets its name by combining the words ‘recycled’ and ‘courtyard.’

The house uses separator walls to allow circulation of air without compromising the privacy of its occupants, and rammed earth to reduce its carbon footprint. Other sustainable technologies employed include a membrane bioreactor to biologically treat wastewater from the house and retain the inorganic nutrients from the algae pond in the house to use it again. The algae pond also helps produce oxygen.

Ocoxal House by A-001 Taller de Arquitectura, Valle de Bravo, Mexico

The two-story home is set up as a sustainable microsystem in an area with a lot of vegetation. The lower floor houses the common spaces whereas the upper black sheet and concrete block includes the bedrooms. Large openings help the home connect with the landscape around and passive bioclimate control techniques help regulate temperature and humidity.

The design also includes solar panels to heat certain spaces as well as an earth chimney to create biomass. The home features a rainwater collection system that feeds into the several plumbing fixtures as well the pool and garden. To help conserve water, it is connected to the river where the excess water can flow.

AT House by HRBT, Oaxtepec, Mexico

Large openings and an angled roof ensure that this concrete home is ventilation and receives plenty of natural light. Water and solar management are two main features of the home. Rainwater collected from the roof is filtered and directed to a 4,000-gallon rainwater tank, and then to a water cistern after purifying it. Water used in the house is recycled with biological secondary treatment and then used to irrigate low water plants and succulents on the property. The excess seeps into the ground, helping restore the water table of the area around. Furthermore, the home has 15 solar panels with an option of adding 30 more if the power requirements increase in the future. Passive heating and venting techniques also help regulate the temperature within and reduce energy consumption.

Off-Grid Guest House by Anacapa, Santa Barbara, California

Located on a wildlife preserve, this secluded home completely generates its own power using photovoltaic cells. The designers were selective in the materials used as well as its form to reduce the environmental impact on the surroundings. The finishes around the home mimic the landscape around and are designed to retain their aesthetic appeal even as they weather over time.

A green roof also helps it become one with its surroundings. In addition to its electric self-sufficiency, the home also has its own well and water treatment system. Wastewater from the home is directed to a septic tank for purification as well as a dry well.

Casa 01 by ES arquitetura, Criciúma, Brazil

Imaged as an architectural promenade, the home comprises several internal courtyards, spacious rooms and large openings. The studio also took great care to ensure that none of the trees on site were removed. The concrete used to build the house contains titanium dioxide that can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air around upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

All of the sewage and wastewater generated is treated on site. The integrated system eco-sewer helps use this wastewater for irrigation. Use of natural materials, solar power for heating and cooling and clever cross-ventilation mechanisms are other sustainable elements included in the design of the home.

Fish Creek House by Edition Office, Fish Creek, Australia

Given the strong winds faced by homes in the region, a textured brick wall envelops three black timber pavilions that make up the house. Gaps between these blocks allow sunlight to enter all spaces within, making it airier as well.

Water-based cooling mechanisms are added to the concrete floor to help heat the floors. This system is connected to the solar panels in the roof. The home has the ability to collect and store about 60,000 liters of rainwater and store. In addition to this, the waste generated within is also treated on site using worm farm composting treatment methods.

House for two couples | Casa dois casais by Cabana Arquitetos, Campos do Jordão, Brazil

Two small units are raised on eucalyptus pillars to reduce the damage done to the local vegetation and also help it camouflage within the forest around. Each unit has a sleeping area, kitchen and bathroom. The modules also have large windows for an immersive experience. Eucalyptus pillars, wooden shingles and salvaged pine are used for its construction, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80% and construction waste generated by 90%. Passive cooling techniques also eliminate the need for an air conditioner.

The retreat also features a blackwater treatment system that uses biodigestion processes to produce organic fertilizer that can nourish the plants around. The graywater is filtered by plants that thrive in wet areas and then restored to the environment through an evapotranspiration trench.

Judging is now underway for the 10th Annual A+Awards Program! Want to earn global recognition for your projects? Sign up to be notified when the 11th Annual A+Awards program launches. 

Reference

Countertop device creates purified water from air
CategoriesSustainable News

Countertop device creates purified water from air

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Designed explicitly for communities living in remote areas that lack a consistent source of clean drinking water, Chilean company Fresh Water Solutions’ Urban device captures tiny water particles suspended in the air. By gathering the particles together, the moisture becomes heavy enough to form a rain cloud. The device then pools the water in preparation for filtration.

The device is small enough to fit on a countertop or table and runs on electricity. The captured water is filtered, purified, and sterilised before being made available for drinking. Each system provides up to 15 litres of clean water a day – enough drinking water for a small- to medium-sized family. A digital display makes the device easy to run and maintain.

Filters need to be cleaned every two weeks to two months, and replaced every one to two years. Owners can buy filters from Fresh Water Solutions or elsewhere as the size and shape is generic and easy to find.

Fresh Water Solutions also provides emergency water solutions, including a modular pond for extreme weather conditions, and a flexible, pillow-like tank for particularly tricky locations. Organisations can use the systems too, as the company’s commercial and industrial devices have capacity to create up to 5,000 litres a day.

Sourcing clean water is an imperative for many communities around the world. Most of the solutions spotted by Springwise focus on affordability and local materials. Macadamia shells are used in South Africa, and a ceramic design provides portable filtration in Mexico.  

Written by: Keely Khoury

22nd April 2022

Email: contacto@freshwatersolutions.org

Website: freshwatersolutions.org/

Reference

Join the Movement, Make a Difference: Electrify Your Home
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Join the Movement, Make a Difference: Electrify Your Home

By Zarkon Group,

Most of Us Care About Climate Change

Most Americans believe climate change is a problem and are concerned. However, many feel hopeless and helpless to do anything that will make a difference when it comes to carbon emissions and climate change. It’s an understandable feeling but not based on reality – because we can take measures immediately to get our homes and lives on the path to zero carbon. 

From Caring to Taking Effective Action to Reduce Carbon 

If you care about the environment and are concerned about global warming, you can now take many practical measures. First, make a plan, on paper or mentally, and commit to it. Humans rarely accomplish what they want without a specific goal, strategy, and commitment. Next, you can create a timeline for replacing each fossil fuel-based technology in your home, as the existing ones are ready to be replaced due to age, safety, inefficiency, or malfunction. And you can do the same with your gas-guzzling vehicles.

Start Now Electrifying Everything in Your Home

Rewiring America’s Electrify Everything in Your Home, subtitled “A Guide to Healthy Comfy, Carbon-Free Living,” can help simplify your planning. It’s a complete guide to rewiring your life, whether you are a homeowner or a renter. The Rewiring America Guide offers many steps that you can begin implementing now. Here is a brief overview: 

  • Purchase Renewable Energy: Contact your utility to switch to a renewable power plan if they offer one, or search for local community solar or wind projects that provide renewable electricity. Renters can do the same. See Chapter 1 for more details.
  • Upgrade Your Electrical Service: Check your electrical panel to determine its size and configuration. Renters can do the same and discuss it with their landlord. See Chapter 2 for more details.
  • Consider a Home Energy Assessment: Get a “home energy audit” or “home energy assessment,” including a blower door test. And get quotes for air sealing and insulating your home. Energy conservation will make electrifying everything much more effective. Renters can use the back of their hands or incense to detect air leaks. Use an ordinary caulking gun and weather stripping to seal any areas with apparent drafts. If air leaks and drafts are significant, bring them to your landlord’s attention.
  • Prepare for Heat Pump Heating and Cooling: Get quotes from more than one HVAC contractor experienced with heat pump installation. Be sure he uses your energy assessment and the Manul J  to size the unit correctly. Renters can consider purchasing a window or portable heat pump for heating and cooling. See chapter 3 for more details.
  • Prepare for a Heat Pump Water Heater: Determine whether or not your current water heater is gas-powered and how old it is—plan to replace it with a heat pump water heater if it’s over ten years old. Renters show your landlord the EnergyGuide savings for replacing your old water heater with a heat pump and install water-saving faucet and shower fixtures. See chapter 4 for more details.
  • Check out Electric Cooking: If you hold a magnet to your pans and it sticks, they will work with an induction cooktop. If not, buy a few metal pans and a portable induction burner for about $50 to $150. Then plan to have a 240V appliance outlet installed before replacing your existing stove with an induction stove. Renters can buy a portable induction cooktop that can plug into standard outlets and use it as their primary cooking surface. See chapter 5 for more details.
  • Check out Clothes Drying Alternatives: Check if you have a gas dryer and if you already have a 240V appliance outlet behind your dryer. If you have both, consider purchasing a heat pump drier when your current drier needs replacing. In the meantime, use clothes drying racks or clotheslines. Renters use clothes drying racks or clotheslines and consider a combo washer and condensing dryer that runs on 120V. See chapter 6 for more details.
  • Install Solar Panels: Use a website to check your home’s solar potential, and use Energy Sage to get initial quotes. Renters can get quotes and financing options to send to their landlord. See chapter 9 for more details.
  • Add Battery Storage: If you already have rooftop solar, check whether your installer or competitors in your area offer battery storage. Renters can check out standalone backup batteries. See chapter 10 for more details.
  • Get Ready for an Electric Vehicle: Calculate how far you drive on average in a day to determine the range you need for an electric vehicle. Then, check online for nearby public charging stations to determine the feasibility of using public charging stations. Renters can do the same. See chapter 7 for details.
  • Prepare for EV Charging: If you have a garage, check if you have a 240V appliance outlet to which you can connect a fast “Level 2” charger. Renters can ask their landlord and employer to install a Level 2 charger. See chapter 8 for more details.

The Electrify Everything in Your Home guide provides many more details, including an Electrification Planning Chart and checklists for homeowners and for renters. It also includes a section on “How To Pay For It,” starting with items with little or no upfront cost, such as switching to renewable energy from your utility. To access the guide and these charts and checklists, go to the Rewiring America – Electrify Home guide and enter your email address.

The Path to Zero Carbon: Electrify Everything and Button Up Your Home

Electrifying everything will shift your life from depending on carbon-emitting technologies to clean, highly energy-efficient technologies, including home appliances, HVAC, water heating, and vehicles. Air sealing and insulating your home will further conserve energy, and sourcing renewable energy will wean you completely from carbon-emitting fossil fuels. Don’t forget the side effects:

  • Lower energy bills
  • Improved health
  • A more comfortable home
  • A vehicle with outstanding performance
  • No more trips to the gas station

So, take the Electrify Everything Pledge and start down the path to zero carbon today!

 

By Joe Emerson, Founder of the Zero Energy Project

With special thanks to Rewiring America.

 

Reference

Global innovation spotlight: Chile – Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

Global innovation spotlight: Chile – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,

Reflecting our global Springwise readership, we explore the innovation landscape and freshest thinking from a new country each week. This week, we’ve headed to South America…

Chile Innovation Facts

Global Innovation Index ranking: 53rd

Climate targets: Reduce black carbon emissions by at least 25 per cent by 2030 (from 2016 levels), carbon neutral by 2050.

Sustainability issues

Water scarcity – Underpinning many of the environmental challenges in Chile is the issue of water – or rather the lack of it. The country is currently suffering from a decade-long drought, which scientists believe is exacerbated by climate change. In total, around 1.4 million Chileans don’t have access to drinking water or sewerage – eight per cent of the population.

Deforestation and desertification – Chile suffered an 11 per cent decrease in tree cover between 2000 and 2020. And the country is similarly affected by desertification and land degradation – with two-thirds of the country’s territory affected or threatened by desertification and drought.

Impact of mining – Many of the raw materials driving technological progress—such as copper, lithium, and rare earth metals—are found in Chile. And their extraction has a significant environmental impact. For example, lithium—crucial for electric vehicle batteries—is found in abundance in the Atacama Desert region. The process for extracting lithium is extremely water intensive in a region that is one of the driest in the world.

Sector specialisms

Energy and environment

Foodtech

Fintech

Source: Startupblink

Three Exciting Innovations From Chile

Photo source Pixabay

COUNTERTOP DEVICE CREATES PURIFIED WATER FROM AIR

Designed explicitly for communities living in remote areas that lack a consistent source of clean drinking water, Chilean company Fresh Water Solutions’ Urban device captures tiny water particles suspended in the air. By gathering the particles together, the moisture becomes heavy enough to form a rain cloud. The device then pools the water in preparation for filtration. Read more.

Photo source Carlos Muñoz on Unsplash

TURNING WIND, WATER, AND AIR INTO GREEN FUEL

Chile’s largest and southernmost region has been chosen as the setting for an innovative, $55 million (€50.6 million) facility that is exploring the commercialisation of synthetic fuel. The project—called ‘Haru Oni’—is an initiative of startup Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF). The first-of-its-kind facility is designed to convert three ingredients,—wind, water, and air—into a green fuel that could play an important role in the energy revolution. Read more.

Photo source Protera

USING AI TO BUILD ANIMAL-FREE PROTEINS AND PRESERVATIVES

Lab-grown food is no longer science fiction. As alternatives to traditionally farmed ingredients, cultured meats can replace almost any animal product with a more sustainable version. Now, Chilean biotech startup Protera is using artificial intelligence (AI) to copy the amino acid structures of naturally occurring proteins – such as those in flowers. Once a complete protein is built, the company uses fermentation to produce the ingredient at scale. Read more.

Words: Matthew Hempstead

To keep up with the latest innovations in sustainable investment and beyond, sign up to our free newsletters or email info@springwise.com to get in touch.

21st April 2022

Reference