Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation EDGE Studio, Nbbj

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Architect: EDGE Studio, Nbbj

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Project Team EDGE Studio: Gary Carlough AIA, Jeff King AIA, Mick McNutt AIA, Stephen Mrdjenovich

Project Team Nbbj: Doug Parris AIA, A.J. Montero AIA, Kathy Kelly AIA

Project Area: 22,000sqf

Project Year: 2010

Photographs: Ed Massery

The University of Pittsburgh decided to expand and renovate Benedum Hall, the 1960′s home for the Swanson School of Engineering on Pitt’s main campus in Oakland. The original limestone clad modernist tower and disconnected auditorium buildings had become obsolete, as the school’s focus shifted to the 21st century disciplines of nanotechnology, bioengineering, and materials research. As a result, EDGE Studio and Nbbj have designed a more flexible facility that is advantageous to inter-departmental cooperation, and helps attract the best and brightest research faculty and students from around the world.

The project has two segments: a 22,000 square foot addition to house the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, and a full renovation in phases of the existing buildings, including full upgrades to all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and life safety systems.

The project started with an extensive master planning and programming phase, with the often conflicting needs and desires of over 70 research faculty and administrators. Both the addition and renovations were completed while the building remained fully occupied and functional, making the planning, move management, and construction management a significant challenge.

The addition, housing the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, forms a raised link on the site’s north side between the original tower and auditorium. A poured-in-place concrete structure carefully threads its way through the existing basement and subbasement lab spaces below, expressed by the large sloped piers supporting the building over O’Hara Street.

The metal panel and curtain-wall-clad addition contains computer labs, conference spaces, and administrative spaces, which acts as a laboratory for cross disciplinary research into sustainable building and product design. It also contains a new four story open stair hall, linking the three buildings of the assembly, forming a new entry down to the original building’s basement which has been opened up to house a new Teaching / Learning Center.

The project achieved LEED Gold Certification. However, the most important sustainable characteristic is the work that goes on inside, researching into water use, energy use, building construction systems, and collaborations with sustainable technology industries.

lower plaza level plan

plaza level plan

via : http://www.archdaily.com/159216/mascaro-center-for-sustainable-innovation-edge-studio/

Sustainable Vertical Neighborhood Solus4

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This project comes from architectural and urban planning firm, solus4 who has devised a set of principles that guided the design of the Sustainable Vertical Neighborhood. This “neighborhood” takes its form in an iconic 950 foot tall residential tower in New York City. Applying these principles to a vertical neighborhood requires the full engagement of the design team, the building team, the financing team and the owners.

Read on for more on this project after the break.

The distinctive shape of this tower comes from its innovative structure and energy generating systems. The entire structural system, designed by LeMessurier Consultants, is in-situ concrete with flat slabs supported by columns and shear walls embedded in the extruded core shaft leaving large portions of the perimeter free for the 14 foot floor to ceiling glass. The exterior glazing makes up one of the tallest proposed hybrid double glazed skins. While the initial intent of the double skin is to enhance the thermal barrier thereby controlling heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter, an interesting added benefit will be the chimney effect at the external surface.

Strategically placed mini-turbines take advantage of the vertical air movement to generate supplementary power. Balconies at each floor provide exterior space for the resident while adding a variable shading screen to further control glare and heat gain. Temperature controlled window shading with personal preference overrides will provide for individual comfort requirements in any season.

The 950 foot tall blade mast is cantilevered off the concrete frame. Its entire outside surface as well as certain portions of the exterior glazing is covered with transparent thin film photo voltaic panels projected to provide – in combination with other passive and active sustainable systems, the majority of the power requirement for the building. Initial calculations show the building generating excess power at certain times of the year thereby a possible source of income to the residence owners. Keeping to the SNCI principles for energy savings strategies, the building will have no parking except for a quantity of all-electric cars in a variety of model configurations (sedans, SUVs, mini-cars, etc.) that will be garaged on-site and owned and operated by the common ownership of the residences using a card access system.

The balconies, in addition to providing living space and shading, also act as rainwater collectors. The rainwater, rather than being shed to the street, will be harvested and added to the grey water recycling system. Along with fully integrated energy management systems, each apartment will have its own mini-plant for comfort control, domestic water and recycling thereby ensuring a stand-alone capability and reduced reliance on central systems. The street level base of the tower will include – in addition to the entrance/exit to the all electric car garage – a multi level common social space including neighborhood retail and food outlets, mini-produce market, terraced cafes, recreation, gym, swimming, museum/gallery space and office/studio space for residents.

The tower has 50 full-floor four bedroom plus apartments planned at approximately 3,000 square feet each served by high speed destination selective elevators. Not only will this building provide residences with outstanding views in an outstanding location convenient to all parts of the City, but will also place the owners of the residence in the forefront of low impact and actively sustainable communities.

Sustainable Vertical Neighborhood / Solus4 © Tangram 3DS LLC

Sustainable Vertical Neighborhood / Solus4 © Tangram 3DS LLC

Sustainable Vertical Neighborhood / Solus4 plan 01

via : http://www.archdaily.com/145396/sustainable-vertical-neighborhood-solus4/

Victor Civita Plaza – Open Museum of Sustainability / Levisky Arquitectos Associados & Anna Dietzsch, Davis Brody Bond

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The design of the Victor Civita Plaza – Open Museum of Sustainability was based on the ever growing issue of contaminated urban lands. Situated on an existing brown field site in São Paulo, Brazil the design needed to accomodate a large and varied program. More photographs and drawings following the break.

Victor Civita Plaza / Levisky Arquitectos Associados © Nelson Kon

Architects: Levisky Arquitectos Associados

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Project Architects: Adriana Levisky, Anna Julia Dietzsch (Managing Director of Davis Brody Bond’s Sao Paulo office)

Project Coordinator: Renata Gomes

Project Designers: Casey Mahon, Tatiana Antonelli, Lilian Braga, Luciana Magalhaes, Renata Helena de Paula, Catia Portuguese

Project Team: Fernando Lima, Marcelo Ignatios, Gabriela Kuntz

MEP Engineering: Grau Engenharia

Structral Engineering: Companhia de Projectos

Lighting: Franco & Fortes

Landscape Architecture: Benedito Abbud Paisagismo

Management: CeeMeeSee Engenharia

Foundation Engineering: Zaclis & Falconi Engenheiros Associados

Geotechnical Engineering: Alphageos Tecnologia Aplicada

Reuse of Water: Eduardo Oliveira

Acoustics: Fernando Iazzetta

Wood and Forest Resources: IPT

Photographs: Nelson Kon

The design became inherent to the composition of the public-private partnership between City and private sector, being revealed as a defining player in the urban political scenario and the regeneration of the brown field in São Paulo.

The architects created a grand wooden deck surface that rests on the site without excavations. Like the structure of a boat, it creates “urban plazas” that accommodate different public uses and guides the user through a lesson on sustainability processes.