Group 4

Our group belives that there are many ways the built environment can evolve to more effectively address the climate emergency. As the built environment contributes around 40% of the UK's total carbon footprint, the changes in the built environment need to happen quickly and on all levels. One of the key changes needed is through policy, stricter regulations for new builds are needed and climate targets advised by environmental professionals should be integrated into legal requirements. As well as this, architectural designers should continue to work with engineers and other professionals to innovate and incorporate new energy saving solutions. We believe the built environment could counter the climate emergency through the promotion and wide-spread adoption of building re-use and low-carbon retrofitting as opposed to demolishing and rebuilding. The life cycle and embodied carbon of the building should be considered from Stage 0/ Stage 1, where early energy savings can be incorporated into the project more easily.

The Cork House

Cork House is unique; it is the built form of a radical new approach to construction and sustainable design. The Architects, Matthew Barnett Howland, Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton, set out to re-think a building from first principles, considering each stage of its life, including whole-life carbon, material life-cycle and design for disassembly. They examined alternatives to the complex assemblies of composite materials which make up modern wall systems. Their research led them to expanded cork, a bio-renewable material with a remarkably sustainable life cycle. In its solid form, it integrates structure, insulation, external and internal finish.

The project is an inventive response to the complexities and conventions of modern house construction. With its strong whole life performance, the estimated whole-life carbon emissions are 618 CO₂eq/m².

Tsuruoka House

Today the mass of human made objects has exceeded that of all living biomass. Kiyoaki Takeda’s response to this knowledge was the Tsuruoka House, architecture which incorporates gardens across three layers. The architecture, gardens and multiple life forms which can inhabit the structure create a mini environment.

Tsuruoka House moves away from typical modern rooftop gardens. The structure is formed out of hollow vaulted slabs and filled with soil to provide space for deeper rooting plants and trees, creating a mini forest. Planting is incorporated across all levels to enclose the house in greenery. As well as being visually pleasing, these features help keep the building temperature regulated, improve the air quality and, when mature, form privacy screening for the inhabitants.

Takeda hopes that over time, new plants are be introduced by animals and grow until the structure is completely hidden, and one day their biomass will outweigh that of human architecture again.

Casa Ter, Baix Emporda - Mesura The whole life carbon of a building can be reduced by considering the distance the material has to travel before reaching the building site. Casa Ter designed by Mesura, also known as the KM0 house, uses building material taken from its unique surroundings in Baix Emporda, Spain. Casa Ter utilises traditional building methods that are specific to the region in combination with concrete and stones from the River Ter and ceramics of La Bisbal. As a result, the project presents itself as one which is not only rich in culture and well grafted into the environment, but also exemplifies how material consideration can be used as a driver for an environmentally conscious project.

Mexico City Smog eating façade - Hospital General Doctor Manuel Gea Gonzalez

The Hospital General Doctor Manuel Gea Gonzalez’s eating façade uses innovative tiles on one side of the façade of the hospital. These unique tiles are made up of a material called Prosolve370e, which is coated in titanium dioxide. This material helps break down the many substances that make up smog, such as sulphur and nitrogen oxides and sort particles. It works in the manner of a reaction: when the smog encounters the tiles and the ultra-violet rays from the sunlight, a reaction occurs which breaks down the pollutants into less toxic substances such as water and calcium nitrate. This structure can counteract the air pollution created by 1000 cars as well as spreading the reaction over a radius of 27 000 square feet. This design can help counteract the climate emergency as well as aid in the health of the population, as poor air quality can have detrimental effects on one’s health.

Pixel Building - Studio 505 As offices, energy consumption and productivity has such a close link, it is an issue of significance that Studio 505 aims to tackle. The prototype building located in Melbourne proposes a space with 0 carbon emissions and is self-reliant on water and power supply. The building has a pioneering water treatment system that collects water from its native green roof where the solar panels are also placed, coupled out with meticulous calculations using climate data from the past decade, Pixel Building ensures its 6-star Greenstar Carbon-Neutral status. The most eye-catching feature of it however are its colourful shadings. Surrounding the building, they are movable and provide the most suitable working environment, saving energy on lights and ventilation. This successful prototype promises hopes to a new generation of office buildings, saving the planet without compromising on efficiency.