SYMBIOSIS 04 MATERIALS

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PLATEAU TEAM | SDE 2014

Symbiosis

MEET OUR MAGAZINE

Plateau Team>>Symbiosis borns from the hand of Plateau Team with the goal of providing quality information about current issues related to ar-chitecture and construc tion, and always creating a relationship with their project SymbCity developed for the next Solar Decathlon Europe.

EDITORIAL

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PLATEAU TEAM

Plateau Team is one of the twenty interna-tional teams selected to participate in the new Solar Decathlon Europe edition, to be held in Versailles. It is mainly composed by architecture students (UAH) and Building En-gineering students (UAH and UCLM) together with the collaboration of other faculties and schools from these universities, which will provide their knowledge in order to cover all the necessary areas for the creation of an innovative solar habitat.

Plateau Team proposes a change in the city model through a sustainable redensifica-tion which limits the current uncontrolled consumption of land.

SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE

It is an academic competition which is orga-nized by the French Ministry of Housing in collaboration with the European Commission that promotes research in sustainable and self-sufficient energy housing development.

The aim of the participant teams is to design and build a house that consumes the minimum amount of natural resources and produces the minimum waste during its life-cycle. Special interest is given to the reduction of energy consumption and the generation of the re-quired energy from the sun. During the final stage of the competition the teams will build their houses in Versailles, in a public place named La Cit du Soleil.

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00>> Symbi sis

Summary

141602 Symbiosis. The Plateau Team EDITORIAL

06 Eco InsulationARTICLES10 PCM. Phase Change Material14 Tadelakt

18 SymbCity HouseMATERIALS

26

32 Crossway House

PROJECTS

36 BMCE Branches

42 Meet our TeamINTERVIEW

36 4232

Edit: Plateu Team for Solar Decathlon Europe2014.

Address: Press Team. E-mail [email protected]

Drafting Articles and Projects: Sergio Hernndez, Carlos Prez, Juan Aguilar, Adderly Bustamante & Marc Cabarga.

Design and Layout: Sandra Urbaneja & Ana Isabel Urbaneja.

Gratefulness: ngel Cuadrado, Lucia Heras, Javier Nez.

Monthly Edition in Spanish and English. April 2014 Free Publication for public use, online.

26 Manifesto HouseJames & Mau Architects

Richard Hawke Architect

Foster + Partners Architects

06ARTICLE


Saving Money Saving the Environment

From the point of view of energy saving, a good

insulation is essential to achieve real saving goals.

InsulationEco

If the insulation has also been built with techniques and processes that respect the environment, we are able to

contribute in reducing the environmental footprint of the

building. This way we will get the energy savings in the

building, but also the saving that comes from the pro-

duction through sustainable methods.

In the current market there are some patented or-

ganic insulations solutions. The ones which seem

to have more opportunities for implementation and

consolidation in short-term construction systems

are those based on cellulose (from recycled paper

of magazines, etc), hemp (ensuring that there are

no problems with parasites or putrefaction), wood

fibers (good acoustic and thermal insulation), sheep

wool (very light), black cork (the most unalterable

insulation ever), in OSB (oriented strand boards

with high capacity), and sandwich panels with cork

elements.

In the case of cellulose-based insulation its noticible that

the base material is usually wood, whose qualities are

well known.

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Furthermore, the borax salts of these models, protect

against insects and rodents, and avoid mildew and rot,

adding to overall improved fire resistance. These mate-

rials are non-toxic, and contain no harmful chemicals or

additives, achieving a smooth and pleasant look. They

dont cause allergic reactions or skin irritation.

ECO INSULATION FEATURES

As there is no official or accurate concept encom-

passing sustainable natural insulators, these adjectives

are often used lightly, without the necessary rigor for

the advertisment of materials that are not really organic

or renewable. We can find several factors that de-

termine whether an insulator is more eco - responsible,

for example:

- The material that is manufactured is renewable:

recycled paper.

- The energy savings made in its manufacture: We

seek the most economical process.

- The level of CO2 emissions must be the minimum,

even negative. We aim to achieve a minimal ecological

footprint by recycling the raw material.

Uponor is a leading international solutions for fluid handling in building and HVAC solutions Invisible. for residential, non-residential and industrial sector. in Europe and the United States.

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WHY ISOLATE MY HOUSE?

Climate control basically aims to offset the buildings

energy losses. If the building is well insulated, neither

cold nor heat will leave the building and therefore

there will be less need for heating or cooling.

A clear example is the comparison of a building with

a bathtub: If the tub has holes or perforations, and we

want to maintain a constant water level, we should leave

the water running in constant stream to balance the li-

ters we lose through the holes and the liters we bring

through the tap. Another more responsible strategy

would be to plug the holes and close the tap.

To get an idea of the enormous amount of energy

involved in air conditioning, we have to consider that

between 50% and 70% of the energy used in the house

is wasted by the air condition and heating systems.

The insulation failure and outflows are the main causes

of inefficiency and energy loss in housing. Good in-

sulators represent monetary and energy saving. It

also affects the comfort, maintaining a smooth and

uniform temperature throughout a house.

Good insulators

represent monetary

and energy saving.

You can consider the cost of installing the insulation

as an investment, because it is only done once and

the energy savings are forever. In a building without

insulation, we lose energy through the roof, walls and

windows, considered critical in the design of a house.

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10Latent heat is the energy required for any material to change its phase, in this case were focusing on the

solid-liquid change. The interest for this type of mate-

rial is that the energy absorbed by the material during

the phase transformation wont increase body tem-

perature, due to the fact that the absorbed energy that

is used to change from solid to liquid and, conversely,

in its inverse transformation from liquid to solid, is the

same energy absorbed before it is released as a pas-

sive strategy to increase the indoor temperature.

There are several phase change materials which act

reversibly according to the environmental conditions

and are usually low cost. Numerically, the relationship

between the thermal energy needed to increase 1C in

a material, and the energy that is released in a phase


The Phase Change Material are innovating materials whose function is to store energy in the form of latent heat with values

much more efficient than those used by the specific heat.

An innovation system for storing latent heat

Phase Change PCM

change, is 80 times superior in the heat increase

produced by the specific heat.

ARTICLE

Material

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In addition the energy released by the phase change

materials is produced at constant temperature. This

feature allows temperature control (as a thermoregula-

tor) reducing temperature variations in a larger range

throughout time, and therefore conveys considerable

energy savings while achieving to passively maintain

comfortable temperatures constant.

Other applications of PCM due to their properties are to ob-

tain hot water by conduction, as well as for cooling surfaces.

Passive cooling has several applications at home and offic-

es: maintaining temperatures in rooms that tend to overheat

(computer room, kitchen and electronic devices overall), pro-

viding coolness to food.

In construction, the places where the PCM is used most often

are:

- In isolating installations connected to domestic hot water

solar thermal collectors. In this case, excess heat absorbed

during the day by the collector would be captured by the PCM

to release overnight. Under similar conditions, a system of

heat collectors with phase change materials relative to a sys-

tem without them can result significant differences up to 25

C higher than in the warehouse with PCM.

- An application for thermal energy accumulators systems with

low enthalpy geothermal energy has also been developed.

Its role is oriented towards benefiting the latent heat during

the night, reducing the dimensions of the tank and getting the

circulation pumps to work less time during the day and over-

night.

Its not what we do, its how you do feel

- More than 135 years in the business of heating, also has a significant presence in the f ield of air condi-tioning and renewable energies. -

Vaillant Group,

Specialists in energy management and leaders in energy efficiency solutions

- The integration of PCM in cold stores (big

freezer) operates as a passive temperature

control system with the goal to reduce the drastic

temperature variations that deteriorate the food

quality.

CTC is currently developing the PCM, following

two very important lines of research:

- PCMs normal conductivity is low but sometimes

it requires absorbing or releasing energy more

quickly. Therefore carbon-based matrices com-

posites are being developed, the PCM in question

will be able to increase its thermal conductivity by

150 times than PCM without matrix.

- It has also been tried to micro-encapsulate

different PCM with particle sizes below 15

microns in order to be integrated in hydrated

materials as additives to improve the insulating

capacity of the whole particle.

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The energy released by the phase change materials is produced at constant temperature. This feature allows temperature control (as a thermoregulator)

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It is a natural repellent stucco and is used as a tradi-tional coating bathrooms, kitchens, wet areas such as

indoor spas and even palaces for its luxurious finish.

With the tadelakt can produce unique pieces form-

work material providing a spatial aspect of unity and

continuity. Its elegant materiality has made this stucco

is used to give a distinguished look and an excellent

gloss finish worthy of the best ornaments.

There arent many articles written about the origin

Tadelakt. We only know that the first artisans were

the Berbers who settled in nor-thern Morocco in the

V century BC.

Initially the tadelakt was used in the construction of

impervious tanks for storage of potable water, a pure-

ly functional purpose. Later, it was used as a coating

in the hammam (bath complexes of the Arabs), and

finally in buildings obtaining recognition for their aes-

thetic and technical qualities.

Lime for tadelakt is obtained from the calcination of

limestone, baked in ovens with olive wood and palm

for about 30 hours.

Luxury waterproofTadelakt

It is a coating with self-supporting capacity based on lime,

bright and waterproof, which by their physical characteristics,

can be used both indoors and outdoors..

Once out of the oven, the lime is slaked with a little

water and is applied to a sieve of 2.3 mm. It is mar-

keted in bags ready for use.

It is a material that requires an arduous preparation.

ARTICLE

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It needs to be treated after first forming a boulder

rubbing on its surface to give it a smooth and pol-

ished finish. Finally applies a soap which gives a shiny

material which as being made from olive oil gives a

hydrophobic material capacity.

Its biggest flaw is its extreme fragility to shocks and

the need for periodic maintenance, which is recom-

mended to be annual, and requires the application

of soap.

It is important to quickly repair any cracks, because

water leaks may occur. Unfortunately tweaks are al-

ways visible.

The tadelakt has a marble and finely finished look,

with ripples caused by the development with cobble-

stone, which gives it great beauty and splendor of

decorative qualities.

It is generally made with lime Marrakech. Indeed,

Marrakech lime allows a greater thickness due to its

rudimentary modeling.

always around you

Heating and cooling radiant ceiling Zehnder.

The good air comes from above ...

Its implementation is a detailed operation requiring complex processing not suitable for inexperienced peo-ple. Moroccan master craftsmen are called maalem and follow an instruction that lasts several years with the purpose to master the technical complex. Knowl-edge of this traditional process, passed from father to son or from master to apprentice. To become master Tadelakt dedication and patience is required, as it is a material variables, which follows the proportions of the components, and also a sequence of gestures for the application. A particular rhythm in the movement during application which respond to chemical, phys-ical reactions to weather conditions and the type of support is essential.

This suggests to us that the tadelakt is not just a build-ing material, but also the expression of a craftsman symbolic knowledge of a culture that still transmitted orally.

Some manufacturers using lime kilns comes from Mar-rakech and therefore comply with the technical and aesthetic qualities of this plaster, studied the addition of an additive that allows the operator to manipulate and apply the product in our area more easily.

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The Tadelakt

has a marble and finely

finished look

18PLATEAU TEAM | SDE 2014

MaterialsSymbcity House

The

The SymbCity House design comes from the possibility of assembly and disassembly of the prototype. Therefore, we designed a standard unit of measurement which is based on the dimensions of the supports that modulate our proposal.

MATERIALS

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The construction system of the house SimbCity House is based on:

1. An anchored structure integrated to the exist-ing building, in this case, the base is integrated.

2. Structural precast panels.

3. Transportable modules.

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BASE MATERIAL

The material used is mainly Corsican pine. We chose

it because its a natural Spanish material, and it

doesnt consume too much energy in its construction.

BRACING STRUCTURE

The main idea of SymbCity House project is the re-

habilitation of the existing buildings by adding a new

volume on top of the roof. To prevent overloading the

existing building, we install a fixed structure parallel

to the faade from the street level to the roof that

allows us to expand the apartments in the southern

and northern areas of the building.

The bracing structure consists of four frames, each

composed of two main pillars, a main beam and four

cantilevers connected by a tie bracing structure.

However, since the implementation of the project will

be done through the prototype that will be built at

Versailles, its necessary to describe the materials

used in the construction.

The proposed foundation for the prototype consists of

some rigid planks lying directly over the ground.

A prefabricated steel structure is placed on these

planks, having two different types of elements:

1. Vertical elements: that can adjust to different

heights.

2. A horizontal beam framework.

This framework is the first real horizontal level. The

first floor will be placed on those beams.

MATERIALS

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STRUCTURAL PANEL SYSTEM

We chose this solution for three reasons:

1- The possibility of assembly and disassembly the

prototype.

2- Ease of transportation.

3- Versatility of placing.

First, we divided the wall structure, roof and plat-

form in different parts with a common feature, the

width of the pieces must correspond to the width of

the tracks that we will use.

>> First phase

We place the uprights, there are made of Corsican

pine wooden. They could have 18x6cm section or

12x6cm section, depending on the space (living core

or multifunctional).

>> Second phase

In order to reduce the thermal bridge, we place

some 5x5cm section wooden batten in the opposite

direction.

>> Third phase

We fill the hole between vertical and horizontal

battens with mineral insulation.

>> Fourth phase

Finally, we close the solution with 1,5cm chipboard

on both sides.

To assemble each panel, we have to follow four phases:

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MATERIALS

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EAST VEGETAL FACADE

Vegetal faades, despite its potential benefits, are a

very unusual practice in the Spanish market and its

application has been especially focused on individual

buildings.

This technology could be extended to the entire build-

ing sector by developing flexible, simple to implement

with a competitive cost solutions, capable of being

integrated into construction projects. Moreover, these

solutions could also be used in the rehabilitation of

the existing building envelope and, therefore, part of

rehabilitation programs for specific buildings or even

entire neighborhoods.

The vegetal facade also incorporates materials and

renewable products, abundant and easy to recycle,

combined with potential energy savings in refrigeration,

that will help improve the environmental perfor-

mance of buildings.

In the prototype we have a twin vertical garden with

two functions.

The external wall protects the east faade against

sunlight incidence, while the internal vegetation

layer keeps the indoor atmosphere cool and humid

during warm days.

The constructive system is adapted to the structural

wall, and the twin disposition equilibrates the weight

of the vertical garden systems.

Among its many advantages we can highlight the

most important such as:

A natural insulation which participates in the

energy savings.

It helps maintain a more regular room tem-

perature.

It can absorb carbon dioxide and other fine

particles cleaning the air.

Noise insulation.

A natural look pleasing to the eye.

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CLAY COATING

Clay coatings for interior walls are an environmen-

tally friendly product with high performance for

interior finishes in walls. It regulates the humidity

and also isolates noise and sudden changes in tem-

perature.

Mortar is made of clay, with no additives, and

selected sands, with natural building materials

and the concept of sustainability in relation to the

building.

The great advantage of the indoor clay mortar is

affecting positively the comfort of tenants, and by

regulating humidity it increases energy savings by the

high thermal inertia, it also improves the absorption

of smells and gases, and is an effective acoustic

insulation.


They also provide great versatility to interior design.

The diversity of colors and variety of granule clay

mortars allows us to create large interior spaces with

interesting visual.

The relative humidity in spaces covered with clay is

maintained by 55 to 60 percent, the healthier per-

centage, and absorbs bad smells that let you enjoy

a clean and healthy air.

Clay coatings have extremely lightness with a lower

weight than conventional mortars. We mustnt forget

that the use of these products requires more time

than conventional drying.

MATERIALS

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The main idea of SymbCity House project is the re-

habilitation of the existing buildings by adding a new

volume on top of the roof. The extra levels which

would be built on the top of the existing building are

hanging from an external structure, which allows a

flexible distribution without intermediate load-bearing

pillars.


PROJECT

26On the top of a hill o Curacavi, in the Metropolitan Region of Chile, as if it were a castle, this house is strategically located and has a nice panoramic view of the beauti-ful landscape. Its a permeable house at its east-west axis, merging on the horizon through a large glass area.

CARACAV , CHILE . INF INISK I CONSTRUCTION

J A M E S & M A U A R C H I T E C T S

Manifesto House

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This effect creates, in the social area of the house, an environment with high potential and provides warmth

to this space where you can see the sunrise or sunset,

making it part of a great entertaining experience.

The house forms part of bioclimatic architecture, de-

signed to minimize the energy consumption of their

buildings. The passive design has a great advantage

in the environment properties.

Like a second skin, the house dresses and undresses

itself, thanks to ventilated external coverage that

manages solar energy as heat that covers the walls

and ceiling, depending on your need ofnatural solar

heating. The house uses two types of covers or skins:

wooden panels coming from sustainable forests and

recycled mobile pallets.

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The house is distributed around the glass area by more

closed volumes in the north-south axis in contrast to

the open side, and thus generating a volumetric strain

towards the views. At the same time, the construction

system is created intentionally to be clothed with a

skin using a composition of its horizontal elements,

that generates a rich game of light and shadow, that

dematerializes its own volumes thus creating an object

architectural alive and in a position to stand by.

Manifesto House shows the potential of this kind of

building: bioclimatic design, recycling, reuse and re-

duction of building materials, non-polluting materi-

als and building systems, and the use of renewable

energy. Manifesto House building has achieved an

85% (measured by weight) use of recycled, reused or

non-polluting materials.


PROJECT

Manifesto house almost doubles the insulation con-

dition required in many countries.

Infiniski uses cellulose insulation (recycled paper),

hemp and cork. The 100% cellulose projected in-

sulation is more efficient than the commonly used

insulation wool. The inner enclosure is composed of

insulation from recycled cellulose projected on the

inside of the container plate and finished with eco-

logical plaster and cellulose fiber panels.

Through the use of passive thermal insulation ele-

ments and the incorporation of alternative energy

sources (solar thermal panels), the House achieves a

70 % energy autonomy.

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The Centre for Smart Infrastruc-ture Innovation (CI3) is a public sector entity, general inter est and non-prof-it whose purpose is to contribute to the develop-ment, promotion and development of information technolog y a nd communications (ICT) applied to infrastructure

Symbiosis |30

The project relies on a bioclimatic architecture that

adapts the form and positions the house to its ener-

getic needs. The project is based on a prefabricated

and modular design that allows a cheaper and faster

constructive method. This modular system also allows

thinking about the coherence of the house with possible

future modifications, or enlargements, in order to

easily adapt to the evolving needs of the client.

The structure consists of three reused shipping

containers. A two-part container serves as a structural

support for the two containers of the top floor. This

structure creates a gate-shaped space inter-containers

which gives it an extra space, managing to achiev 160

m2 with only three containers (90 m2). This strategy

reduces significantly the use of material. Furthermore

the gantry moves slightly outwards in one of the ends,

creating terraces.

>> DOCUMENTATION AND PHOTOGRAPHS THANKS TO THE

ARCHITECTS JAMES & MAU. IMAGES ANTONIO CORCUERA.

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PROJECT

Crossway House, located in the English countryside of Staplehurst (Kent) is part of the story of architecture to be sustainable housing that produces zero carbon emissions.

AN ARCHITECTURAL WONDER EMISS ION FREE IN ENGLAND

R I C H A R D H A W K E A R C H I T E C T

Crossway House

32Designed by architect Richard Hawke, the arched roof of the house is a vault with a parabolic rather

than circular arc. The result allows the roof with-

out additional support and reduce the use of mate-

rial. The spectacular roof is perhaps based on a

pre-fourteenth century art, the dome masonry used

primarily in the Spanish Mediterranean and left excellent

examples in Catalonia.

It is a 20 meters long dome cover with vegetation and

earth, incredibly thin and efficient, it brings into the

pleasant warmth of the brick. In addition to avoiding

the use of energy more expensive materials such as

concrete, provides a large thermal mass to retain heat,

temperature fluctuations by absorbing and reducing

the need for central heating or cooling systems.

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The roof has a layer of 26,000 clay tiles handmade

locally joined with mortar to create a support network.

At the top of a green roof is prepared to help regulate

the temperature inside the house, and the rounded shape

of the housing reduces the exterior surface area which

in turn helps improve energy savings.

The importance of a healthy home...

You decide, we design and build your home ... Wooden Houses of ecological maximum energy efficiency.

Whenever the need arises a temporary structure ...Rehasa Structures specializes exclusively to the design, calculation and execution of spe-cial s tructures, prefabricated buildings, front s tabilizers, propping, shoring, etc. dedication company.

Symbiosis |34

Crossway House has a heating system that combines

photovoltaic and thermal with a biomass boiler, which

provide housing the energy. In addition, the building

envelope is insulated using Phase Change Materials

to effectively store heat in the winter and heat in

summer regularly.

The rest of the walls are insulated with cellulose or

shredded newspaper. Recovered water from the

Crossway House roof is also used for its internal use.

The house received a rating of AA as Energy Perfor-

mance Certificate and is also on track to become the

first certified passive house in England.

... sustainable housing that produces zero carbn emissions. Graphic documentation obtained website: http://www.hawkesarchitecture.co.uk/grand-design

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36PLATEAU TEAM | SDE 2014

BMCEBanque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur (BMCE) is one of Moroccos leading banks. Prompted by a desire to transform the experience of high-street banking for its customers, the Bank commissioned a series of flagship branches.

CASABLANCA , FEZ , RABAT, MARRAKECH, ELJADIDA , MOROCCO 2007-2009 F O S T E R + P A R T N E R S A R C H I T E C T S

Branches

PROJECT

Their design follows a modular, thematic approach, with variations in scale and landscaping in response to the different locations. While the branches in Casablanca and Rabat reflect their compact sites in the financial and civic centres on Moroccos coast, the Fez branch has subtle details that express the citys artisan heritage.

The buildings that form BMCE Branches are the first project of Foster + Partners in Africa, which have been reinterpreted traditional Moroccan dec-orations polishing them with a contemporary style. Have been used energy efficient technologies to achieve greater sustainability, based on the use of local materials.

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BMCE Bank Rabat Morocco - Short Section

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Each of the banks is entered through a colonnade and

topped by a dome. The soffit of the dome is rendered

in tadelakt, a local plaster technique, and the exterior

is clad in zellige - a traditional ceramic tile.

Structurally, the buildings comprise a reinforced

concrete frame, with bays repeated on a modular

grid. The bays are enclosed by glazed panels with

deep screens to provide shade and security. The screens are made from a low-iron stainless steel, which is designed to remain cool to the touch, and follow a geometric design based on Islamic patterns.The combination of screens and stone pillars gives the facades the appearance of solidity, in keeping with the often decoratively carved walls prevalent in Moroccos refined Arabic style.

While the building envelope relates to the regional

vernacular, the interior is contemporary. The dome

form sweeps down into the banking hall to create a

sculptural curved bench - a distinctive feature of each

branch - which varies in width according to the

buildings size.

A simple functional arrangement divides the rectangular

footprint equally between the banking hall and sup-

port areas.

The modular grid places landscaped pools, with

planting in recessed stone rills, around the exterior of

the building, inverting the form of the Moroccan riad,

with its central courtyard.


PROJECT

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windows systems

The reference in Sustainable Insulation

The European leader in prof ile

systems for windows and doors[ [

Install quality window is critical to achieving good

insulation.

KOMMERLING you will

keep with you the

ideal temperature in

your home with the

maximum energy saving.

You will enjoy being

at home

The sectors of the building and

industry, should accept their

share of responsibility and influence

in global warming and the preservation

of valuable energy resources.

Symbiosis |40

The branches are designed to be energy

efficient, combining modern technology

with centuries-old methods of passive

climate control. One example is the use

of earth-tube cooling, in which fresh air is

drawn into a pipe that encircles the structure

below ground and is chilled naturally before

being released into the buildings ventilation

system.

>> DOCUMENTATION AND PHOTOGRAPHS

THANKS TO THE ARCHITECTS FOSTER + PARTNERS.

IMAGES NIGEL YOUNG

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BMCE, Rabat - Ground Floor

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INTERVIEW


Plateau TeamConstruction

Manager

THIS FOURTH EDITION OF SYMBIOSIS INTERVIEWED LUIS LPEZ, CONSTRUCTION MANAGER.

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS

Luis Lpez

In a good construction it should not lose sight of the environment and try

to take advantage of the near by resources.

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Plateau Team

but also we had to choose well which elements can-not be obtained from the environment and look the best.

S: What is the life cycle of the materials? You had it in mind to select the different materials?

L: It is the evaluation of the environmental loads associated with a material. This includes emissions in obtaining raw materials, processing, assembly, and in its final phase, energy consumption in all its phases and the effects on the environment. As well as waste and whether or not a reusable material once reached its end.

For the choice of materials has been one of the main premises which we had. In many ways we mark a red line, from which some materials are not going to be used. S: What determines, for you, that a material is sustainable or not?

L: That is the environment friendly materials, recy-cled and recyclable or reusable. A way of being friendly with the natural environment not only is also have low levels of contamination in their man-ufacture or use, is to have a long time of use and maximize the benefits and qualities of products.

S: How important is the choice of a material determined in the industrialized building system Symbcity House? What are you seeking in the materials that you choose?

L: The choice of materials is determined by the marked industrialization and the construction pro-cess. The most important aspects of these materials are that they are easy to work, they do not require much expertise, easy to transport, and adaptable. All this, without losing sight features and qualities.

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S: What benefits gets SimbCity House using mud plasters and phase change materials?

L: The combination of these materials provides numerous benefits to Simbcity House. The mud is a traditional material in construction, with many qualities, but currently does not have a widespread use. The phase change materials are materials that slowly are creating their way in the construction. The combination of both, improves and recovers a material such as the mud plaster for the inside of the housing. Based on the thermal inertia of mud and the addiction of phase change material we obtain a suitable material to maintain comfort lev-els inside the homes.

S: What are the ecological insulation?

L: They are insulators made from renewable nat-ural resources and with low environmental impact in their manufacture. They are also the isolates produced from the recycling of other materials. Its acoustic and thermal performance are not differ-ent to isolates of traditional use. For its elaboration are used natural, vegetable or animal material. Some examples may be from cellulose, wood, wool, rock wool fibers. . .

S. Benefits or disadvantages of the use of local building materials?

L:The main advantage of the use of local materials in construction, is the knowledge in its use, place-ment or installation. It is a material that is located in the proximity of construction, reduces costs and CO2 emissions in the transport. However, not al-ways material that is used in a given area is the most suitable or the most appropriate. In a good construction it should not lose sight of the environment and try to take advantage of the near by resources,

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SPONSORS

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Documents

SYMBIOSIS 04 MATERIALS