Luxury home in Kerala produces all of its own energy

Thrissur-based design studio LIJO RENY Architects has taken full advantage of Kerala’s sunny, tropical climate with its design of The House Within the Grid, a luxury residence that produces all of its own energy via rooftop solar panels. Commissioned by a doctor couple with four children, the solar-powered home is currently used as a holiday escape from the clients’ primary residence in Sharjah; however, the house will eventually serve as the family’s permanent home in the future.

Located on a slightly elevated half-acre lot in the coastal neighborhood of Andathode, the House Within the Grid encompasses nearly 9,000 square feet of living space to accommodate the primary family of six and the clients’ extended family and friends on holiday visits. To provide privacy to the main sleeping wing, the architects divided the home into two connected yet distinct parallel bays — a single-story bay housing the public and semi-private areas on the east side and a double-story bay on the western side that comprises six en suite bedrooms and a compact office space. Two large courtyards are located in between the bays.

Related: Mud and recycled materials make up this sustainable Kerala home

“A mix of primary and secondary functions, with its two different room widths, creates a visible repetitive spatial pattern throughout the house,” the architects explained of the layout. “This project was an exercise in exploiting the spatial possibilities offered by the surprisingly flexible modular grid. Juxtaposing the rigorous but serene geometry of the house with the incoherent landscape of its site, a distinct spatial language evolved to become a subtle stage for the contemplative daily activities.”

In addition to adding rooftop solar panels that meet all of the home’s electricity needs, the architects have strategically placed windows to tap into cross ventilation for natural cooling. Extended roof slabs also help protect against unwanted solar gain from Kerala’s intense sunlight. A rainwater collection system has been installed along the floating roofs as well to further reduce the home’s resource footprint.

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Photography by Praveen Mohandas via LIJO RENY Architects

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Innovative Future Tree was built by robots and 3D-printing

Robotic construction has taken another step forward with the Future Tree, a recently completed timber canopy built with robots in a project by Gramazio Kohler Research and ETH Zurich. Completed in October 2019, following 2 years of planning and approximately 4 months of construction, the Future Tree is a study of complex timber structures and digital concrete. The tree-like canopy was installed over the courtyard of the office building extension of Basler & Hofmann in Esslingen, Switzerland.

An industrial robot was used to fabricate and assemble the Future Tree’s 380 timber elements made from acetylated pine wood and fitted with full-threaded screws and tension cables to form a reciprocal frame. The structure’s canopy-like crown is supported by a single, trunk-like concrete column and anchored to the office building on two sides while cantilevering on the opposite corner.

Related: Robots weave an insect-inspired carbon-fiber forest in London

“The frame’s geometry is informed by its structural behaviour, differentiating its flexural rigidity by playing with the opening of the reciprocal knots to achieve a higher stiffness in the cantilevering part,” Gramazio Kohler Research’s explained. “To integrate geometric, structural and fabrication concerns we developed a custom computational model of the design.”

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the project is Future Tree’s reinforced concrete column, which was made with a novel fabrication process called “Eggshell” that combines an ultra-thin, robotically 3D-printed formwork with fast-hardening concrete. As the first built example using this fabrication process, Future Tree “shows [how] non-standard concrete structures can be fabricated efficiently, economically and sustainably,” according to Gramazio Kohler Research. Because the formwork — which is 3D-printed to a thickness of 1.5 millimeters using a robotic arm — is filled with fast-hardening concrete in a layer-by-layer casting process to minimize hydrostatic pressure, it can be recycled and reused after the concrete has hydrated.

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Images by Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich and Basler & Hofmann AG

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New International WELL Building Institute HQ achieves Platinum

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) hired midtown Manhattan studio COOKFOX to design its new headquarters with the goal of exceeding its own standards for health-focused work environments. The historic building dates back to 1912, a challenge that the client company welcomed in order to demonstrate WELL standards’ applicability for a wide range of project types. The office space has since achieved WELL Platinum Certification for its commitment to employee wellness.

IWBI provides the leading global standard for buildings, interior spaces and communities that support and advance human health and wellness. WELL Certification guidelines are currently being used in 60 countries with over 4,100 buildings either certified or pursuing certification.

Related: Newly renovated Seventh Generation HQ focuses on sustainability

COOKFOX’s own studio, located near the new IWBI HQ, had already achieved WELL Gold certification back in 2017, so the two companies were able to easily work together to develop strategies. The design emphasized wellness ideals such as the maximization of natural light and air, thoughtful recycled and low-impact building materials and high-filtration air ventilation systems. The office provides healthy food in its kitchens and increases employee connectivity to nature through the use of plants, light and fresh air to encourage an active work style.

“With access to natural light, dynamic workstations and a combination of both design and policy elements that support mental resilience, the IWBI team truly felt a sense of ownership and pride in our office space,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO of IWBI. “By creating a space that mirrors our values, our journey to certification has been an especially meaningful and enlightening experience for us, and one that we intend to share with our community. The space is more than just a headquarters for our staff; it is an extension of our values and a showcase of what WELL stands for. We invite our community to visit, work and learn with us when we can.”

Especially given the current COVID-19 health crisis, IWBI tackled the additional task of ensuring a supplemental virus-free and future-resilient work environment as employees begin to return to work. This included efficient air ventilation and filtration, hand-washing stations, additional cleaning product protocols and food safety.

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Photography by Eric Laignel via COOKFOX

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Cargotecture meets wine country in Paso Robles

Sipping a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon while gazing out over rows and rows of grapes is a thrill for any wine aficionado. But the Geneseo Inn at Cass Winery in Paso Robles, California offers something even more exciting — now wine-lovers can wake up to those vineyard views inside a repurposed shipping container. Cargotecture has come to wine country at last.

The new, eight-unit bed and breakfast is now open and accepting guests. Ecotech Design, collaborating with the container fabricator CRATE MODULAR and the winery co-owners, Steve Cass and Ted Plemons, chose a 60-foot live oak tree as the centerpiece of the property. Ecotech Design integrated 20 factory-built, steel containers with conventional construction and set them in the rolling hills of the vineyard.

Related: Is cargotecture the future of construction? What you need to know for your next project

The units incorporate two containers each. The interior of each container is made from locally sourced, sustainable materials and features a modern, minimalist aesthetic. Parking is built underneath the units, so that cars don’t mar the landscape views. The 12-foot high clerestory, cathedral ceilings have multiple operable windows to invite light and fresh air inside. Guests can regulate the temperature and conserve energy by opening and closing these windows.

The bridal unit suite is larger and more deluxe than the other units; it is built with a 40-foot and a 20-foot container. There is also an office cluster, which uses four 20-foot containers and features reception areas and a communal deck shaded by an oak tree. The B&B’s earthy exterior color palette complements both the landscape and the wine labels used at Cass Winery.

“The design was inspired by the vineyard itself,” said Walter Scott Perry, founder and principal of Ecotech Design. “The most compelling attribute of this project is the use of modular components, in combination with recycled materials, to enhance visual interest and create an impressive panoramic openness that connects interior spaces, walkways, and decks. These connect with the vineyard vistas beyond.” Perry has been a leader in sustainable building design since the 1970s, when he was a part of the passive solar design movement in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the last 15 years, he’s built with shipping containers at sites around California.

The winery personnel are excited to welcome guests to stay on the 145-acre vineyard and to serve them an estate breakfast prepared by the executive chef. Many ingredients are grown on-site in the chef gardens. In addition to a deluxe food and wine experience, guests can book a private massage, yoga session, archery lesson, photography workshop or horseback excursion.

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Photography by Paul Vu Photography via Ecotech Design

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Conceptual eco-village empowers women in Beirut

In a bid to advance gender equity in Lebanon, Beirut-based Anastasia Elrouss Architects has proposed the Vertical Eco-Village: Urban Lung of Beirut, a three-pronged proposal that centers on the M Tower, a 14-story, greenery-covered tower in the eclectic suburb of Chyah. Designed with a structural concrete shell fitted with recycled wooden partitions, the tower would comprise residences as well as spaces for workshops, retail and agricultural functions on the lower levels. The tower, in conjunction with an off-site wooden pavilion and urban farm, would function as a vocational training and cultural center specifically aimed at empowering Lebanese women through agricultural and self-sustainable skill building.

Proposed for a 900-square-meter site at the intersection of two suburban streets, the M Tower emphasizes flexibility and adaptability with open-floor apartment plans that can be uniquely configured by residents into single-floor apartments, duplexes or penthouses with varying amounts of urban gardening space. Pocket gardens and linear terraces wrap around the tower to provide panoramic views of the city and reduce the urban heat island effect.

Related: Prefab apartment proposal wants to make city living more sustainable

“The building takes on the appearance of a single structural vertical planted element extending the busy city life,” the architects explained. “The intervention is a vertical green landmark revealing a unified structure whose multilayered facades are acting as a protective translucent shell vis-a-vis the street and the surrounding buildings.” For self-sufficiency, the tower would be equipped with photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels, a rainwater harvesting and storage system and natural underground water storage for irrigation and domestic use.

The training and retail facilities, operated by the Warchee NGO, would occupy the lower levels and could include urban farming areas, carpentry workshops, mushroom farming, a vegetable cannery and a vegetable market. The tower’s agricultural production areas would be complemented by the project’s two other satellite locations — Beirut Park’s renovated wooden pavilion and an urban farm — that would be connected to each other via electric shuttle. 

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Images via Anastasia Elrouss Architects

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Pharrell Williams debuts The Pebble, a recyclable dining kit

Pentatonic, a circular economy company focused on removing single-use plastic products from the marketplace, partnered with acclaimed singer and outspoken opponent of single-use plastic Pharrell Williams to launch a portable dining kit made from recycled materials. 

Better known for his “Happy” music, Williams is equally passionate about finding alternatives to single-use plastic, which is on the rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the estimated 20-35% increase in single-use waste, Williams has ignited the i am OTHER brand by joining forces with Pentatonic to bring The Pebble by OTHERWARE to the market. 

Related: This sleek, reusable cutlery set can fit right inside your pocket

The idea is simple and effective: a mobile dining kit that includes a fork, knife, spoon, straw and chopsticks. The entire set easily folds away into a compact egg or pebble that fits into a purse, backpack or briefcase for reuse, eliminating waste. Utensils can be washed by hand while backpacking or added to the dishwasher at home.

“Our team has been super concerned about the seemingly unstoppable flow of single-use plastics, especially around food and drink. So we decided to get together with Pentatonic to do something about it, in a fresh, creative and relevant way. The goal is that the pebble makes it easy for people to take their first step towards eliminating single use plastics,” said Darla Vaughn from i am OTHER.

The Pebble uses entirely recycled materials, including CDs, a nod to Williams’s other industry, and polypropylene from used food packaging. At the end of the kit’s life cycle, it can be recycled. Pentatonic will trade back the product and repurpose the materials into another product for a full zero-waste circle.

While Williams brings a recognizable name to the collaboration, Pentatonic boasts noteworthy accomplishments too. The company reports that it “is the world’s leading circular economy company, which focuses upon removing the single use from consumption. It designs and manufactures high quality products as a standalone brand and in collaboration with a broad range of partners including Starbucks, Snarkitecture, Burger King, New Era, The Science Museum and Heron Preston.” And now, Pentatonic can add Williams to the list.

The newly launched collection features a limited-edition yellow colorway to support YELLOW, INC., a non-profit foundation established by Williams. All i am OTHER proceeds from OTHERWARE sales will be donated to YELLOW, INC.

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Images via Pentatonic

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Worlds most sustainable furniture factory proposed for Norway

Bjarke Ingels Group has unveiled the design for The Plus, a furniture factory for Norwegian urban furniture manufacturer Vestre. The project is expected to become the most sustainable of its kind in the world. Designed to be the first industrial building in the Nordic region to achieve BREEAM Outstanding, the 6,500-square-meter production facility will feature 1,200 rooftop solar panels, heat exchangers, smart robots, self-driving trucks and other energy-efficient technologies to ensure a minimum of 50% less greenhouse gas emissions than comparable factories. Set within the heart of a Norwegian forest, the green-roofed furniture factory will also double as a 300-acre public park for hiking and camping. 

The Plus will be located in the village of Magnor, the geographical midpoint between the Vestre headquarters in Oslo and the company’s existing steel factory in Torsby, Sweden. As its name implies, the building will be shaped like a giant plus sign with four wings housing the main production halls — the warehouse, the color factory, the wood factory and the assembly — branching out of the centrally located logistics office and exhibition center. The central hub also surrounds a public circular courtyard for showcasing Vestre’s seasonal outdoor furniture collections. 

Related: BIG presents a sustainable “living laboratory” town in Japan for Toyota at CES

To meet BREEAM Outstanding standards and become “Paris Agreement-proof”, the architects have selected eco-friendly materials, such as the local timber, low-carbon concrete and recycled reinforcement steel that will make up the facade. The interiors will be built with 21-meter, free-spanning, cross-laminated timber to create flexible, column-free spaces. The Plus’ solar panels will be engineered to direct excess heat to the ice-water system for cooling, heat and cold storage tanks, heat pumps and energy wells. The energy-saving system is estimated to contribute to at least 90% less energy demand than a conventional factory of a comparable size. 

“Envisioned as a village for a community dedicated to the cleanest, carbon neutral fabrication of urban and social furniture, The Plus aims to be a global destination for sustainable architecture and high-efficiency production,” BIG explained. “From all four sides of the buildings, visitors and staff are invited to hike around the facility and conclude on the green roof terrace, transforming the furniture factory museum into a campus in the woods.”

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Images by Lucian R via BIG

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