Wood

Don Milani School – Vicchio (FI), Italy
Architects: Bettini + Studio Des – Nicola Bettini (Italy)

The extension project of this school complex aimed to give it a great green space. The new school is conceived as a vast system with many levels and different accessibilities. In the original kernel of the system, the classrooms are in close relation with the external space designed like a garden. For the inside communication, a tunnel winds through the patios and study rooms, rest rooms and leisure spaces. A dry construction with wooden skeleton was chosen as constructing system, giving a great flexibility to the inside space, whilst simplifying operations on the spot and reducing considerably the time needed to finish the construction. The building is environment friendly and the bioclimatic strategies enable energy savings and well-being: radiant floor heating system fed by roof solar panels and condensation boilers, controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recuperation, photovoltaic panels, rain water catching systems, etc. The project also includes wooden outside screens to control the sun radiance.
www.nicolatommasobettiniarchitetto.com

Brick
« Résidence étudiante », Paris
Architects: LAN Architecture (France)

This 143 furnished room project spreads over many buildings with spaces and voids adapted to the context: three six story volumes and, at the bottom of the plot, different heights depending on neighbouring works. This movement opens on a square courtyard (17m x 17m), key item of this project. Its large size works like a green lung bringing plenty of sun to the lodgings. The entrance and the courtyard façades are covered by a larch cladding, contrasting with the street façades wrapped with slate colour bricks. Leading ideas of the project: answer the necessity of an urban integration, optimize the comfort conditions and create a friendly and intimate complex. Compactedness, envelop treatment, solar contributions coupled with performing ventilation, as well as an efficient heating system (city heating plus solar panels) make these lodgings pleasant and comfortable. The thermal insulation is reinforced thanks to a12 cm mineral wool layer on the outside of the structure and double glazing windows.
www.lan-paris.com

Concrete
Architecture school (ETSAV) at Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain
Architects: HArquitectes + dataAE (Spain)

Based on the conception of piled up concrete modules and installed in about 10 days, this 57 student apartment project aims to adapt to the low density of the urban environment, giving priority to the direct relation between the students and the nature. There are four stages to be followed: manufacturing, transporting, installation and connexion. The first phase made in a factory is economical and takes less time and energy, with a better control and less waste. Furthermore the modules can be dismantled and reused elsewhere. A part from the central kernel (bathroom and kitchen) the available space in each module can be freely organized. One of the main objectives was the excellent sustainability and energetic efficiency thanks to the ventilated façades with solar protection reinforced by plants on galvanised meshes, vegetal roofing protecting against solar radiance, the condensation boiler heating system fed by solar panels, the rain water collecting systems, etc. The lodging units are of high thermal inertia level accepting the production of passive free cooling during the night. And by covering the collective patio one generates a 1000 sqm bioclimatic space.
www.harquitectes.com

Metal and glass
Val d’Oca Wine Center in San Giovanni di Valdobbiadene, Italy
Architects: CafèArchitettura (Italy)

Spread over an area of 3390 sqm, 490 sqm being for sale and exhibition purposes, this building with irregular planimetry is striking by its perforated aluminium façade suggesting the effervescent Prosecco bubbles. More especially at nightfall thanks to the play of the multicolour LEDs. The conceptual choices aim to reduce energetic needs and the environmental footprint, mainly by creating a low thermal transmission envelop, with the use of biocompatible materials: load bearing structure and armed concrete foundations, performing thermal insulation, controlled ventilation, heat recuperation, thermal glazing, etc. The energy is produced almost exclusively by renewable sources: photovoltaic panels of about 300 sqm feeding the geothermal heat pump.
www.cafearchitettura.it

Don Milani School - Bettini + Studio Des – Nicola Bettini

Résidence étudiante - LAN Architecture

Architecture school (ETSAV) at Sant Cugat del Vallès - HArquitectes + dataAE

Val d’Oca Wine Center in San Giovanni di Valdobbiadene - CafèArchitettura