ZEN Architecture III — ZER0 Belfast
SuperStudio 2
Professor of Architecture Aoífe Houlihan Wiberg, Professor of Architectural
Roisin Hyde, Teaching Fellow (semester 1)
Ben James, PhD Fellow (semester 1 & 2)
Studio Guests: Mr Ryan Johnston (PhD researcher), Mr Ciaran Mackel (Critic)
'Supporting Belfast’s Resilience Strategy’s ambition for ‘an inclusive, low-carbon, climate-resilient economy in a generation’, The 'Architects of Change' research project puts students and their learning from the ZEN Architecture III — ZERO Belfast studio at the heart of developing and delivering a Net Zero training programme to business leaders across the region.'
Designing for a Resilient Net Zero Built Environments in an era of Climate Emergency
The UK has set a target of a 68% reduction of GHG emissions by 2030 and by 78% by 2035. Its goal is for net-zero emissions by 2050, a commitment the UK government set out in law in 2019. In response to our current era of climate emergency and urgent need to decarbonise the built environment, the studio theme continues to investigate approaches to the integration of climate resilience and net zero GHG emission design strategies. Improving the energy performance of the building stock and developing net zero emission building concepts are critical to avoid increase in energy use and GHG emissions. The student projects will contribute new knowledge for the transition towards a net zero carbon built environment in the Northern Ireland (NI) context in and around the new Belfast campus. The studio theme investigates climate resilient, net zero, circular economy strategies at neighbourhood, building and material scale.
NET ZERO PATHWAYS — NEIGHBOURHOOD (Fall 2021)
Through research led design, the studio theme investigates climate resilient, net zero approaches to bridge the gap between research and design in a mainstream architectural studio context. The studio benefits from a front-loaded research approach in the first half of each semester to enable the students to develop the knowledge and skills in climate resilient and net zero pathways through a series of consecutive tasks using exemplar case studies from selected ‘live’ international projects showcasing pathways to net zero which the students investigate on an individual basis and in inter-peer themed cluster groups.
Semester 1 (Fall 2021)
TASK 1 — PUBLIC SPACE
Task 1a: Belfast Walking Tour The students complete a walking tour, led by Ciaran Mackel, of 10 public spaces in Belfast City Centre using a checklist of points to consider microclimate, tectonics, amongst other design considerations in each public space followed by a discussion and sketching time during, after the walk and further in the studio.
Task 1b: Drawing /recording /mapping /analysing the public spaces Describe and document each of the public spaces and their response /engagement to climate change and climate resiliency. Describe the character and the relationship between orientation, micro-climate, materiality, tectonics and the life of the space and associated lower floors of the buildings that animate or enclose the space.
Task 1c Design a pocket-park – The students were asked to choose from three site options for the pocket-park design and prepare a rapid design response. The objective being to introduce how cultural, social and environmental factors can influence urban form and to consider method and techniques for evaluating and designing.
TASK 2 — COP26 NOMAD (NOVEL MATERIALS ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN)
In this hands-on task, the students were given an introduction to Low Carbon Geopolymer Concrete and an opportunity to become involved in a COP26 installation led by Roisin Hyde. On an individual basis, the students were given a demonstration of concrete formwork making and casting followed by a hands-on workshop session using different fabrication tools: CNC, Laser Cutter, Jig Saw, Table Saw, Hand Saw. The students design their own planter followed by fabrication of the formwork in the workshop. The students then learn about Low Carbon Geopolymer concrete mixing and casting, as well as, demoulding and sanding techniques. The task ended with a studio exhibition of each student’s installation.
TASK 3 — NET ZERO PATHWAYS — NEIGHBOURHOOD
In this task, the students were divided into four inter-peer cluster groups led by a MArch or 3rd year BArch student, each with a focus on a net zero pathway and aligned to a ‘live’ research project where they could access research material and pilot projects. The four clusters include: Smart Cities; Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods (SPEN); Positive Energy Block (PEB); Net Zero Emission Neighbourhood (ZEN).
Task 3a Acquiring Knowledge — What is a Smart City, SPEN, PEB, ZEN ? (Group) Definitions, Key Performance Indicators
Task 3b Understanding Knowledge - Student explain & communicate their chosen Smart City, SPEN, PEB, ZEN technology using their own sketches, scale drawings & models. (Individual) Each Individual within the group should choose one of the key Smart City/ZEN/SPEN/PEB components to understand and visually communicate how the concept and technology works & how it is integrated into the design approach.
Task 3c Deploying Knowledge — Design Task (Individual) Design an Information pavillion, or installation, using your own sketches, scale drawings & physical models, to visually communicate and demonstrate your chosen Net Zero Pathway and KPI i.e. energy (from tidal, wind, solar, kinetic etc) to local citizens i.e. other students & staff, locals, schoolchildren etc. The students were asked to create a 3 min storyboard i.e. video, animation, cartoon strip, ‘a day in the life of’ to explain their chosen technology or design strategies in a nutshell which should be accessible and understandable to schoolchildren and local citizens.
TASK 4 — NET ZERO EMISSION NEIGHBOURHOOD (ZEN) — ZERO BELFAST
Task 4a ZEN Site Analysis (Individual in year group) The students were assigned different site analysis tasks i.e. historical and climatic data, materials & mapping, siteplan, section, elevation drawings according to their year group to collect information and demonstrate the group approach to their chosen site. Some of the students even became certified drone pilots led by Roisin!
Task 4b ZEN CONCEPT (Group) In this task, the students remain in their four inter-peer clusters: Smart Cities; Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods (SPEN); Positive Energy Block (PEB); Net Zero Emission Neighbourhoods (ZEN), and deploy their knowledge to develop their own Net Zero Emission Neighbourhood CONCEPTS in selected sites in and around the Belfast. The four clusters include ZERO Belfast Harbour; ZERO Belfast River Lagan, ZERO Belfast Sirocco Site, ZERO Belfast Retrofit & Urban Farming. The input for deliverables for this Task is investigate in research themes for each ZEN cluster. All ZEN concept design approaches should feed into the ambitions and vision of each team’s previously researched Net Zero Pathways.
Task 4c ZEB in a ZEN Concept (Individual) Individual Programme/Brief: In response to site, each student develops an individual programme and brief integrating the knowledge gained in the first part of the semester. The students are asked to develop a list of spatial parameters for a specific typology (ies) together with schedule of accommodation with associated area needed. The students were then produce a Group Site Context ZEN/PEB/SPEN Masterplan layout showing each individual’s design project in response to their proposed ZEN/PEB/SPEN block including a group axonometric to explain how the group will generate and share energy between their building projects. On an Individual basis, the students were asked to develop a ZEB building concept floor plans, sections and elevations to highlight material and tectonic qualities of the existing context and how their ZEB building sits/responds to its ZEN urban context.
Semester 2
NET ZERO PATHWAYS — BUILDING & MATERIAL SCALE (Spring 2022)
Through research led design, the studio theme investigates climate resilient, net zero approaches at a building and material scale in the second semester. to bridge the gap between research and design in a mainstream architectural studio context. The studio benefits from a front-loaded research approach in the first half of each semester to enable the students to develop the knowledge and skills in climate resilient and net zero pathways through a series of consecutive tasks using exemplar ZEB case studies from selected ‘live’ international projects showcasing pathways to net zero which the students investigate on an individual basis and in inter-peer themed cluster groups.
STUDIO RESEARCH STATEMENT
Research Content and Process
Recent IPCC report stresses we must reduce our GHG emissions by 45% before 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050, if not before, and provides a clear warning, we need to act fast and decisively! Building construction and operations [account for] 36% of global final energy use and 39% of global energy‐related GHG emissions. Britain has a target of a 68% reduction of GHG emissions by 2030 and by 78% by 2035. Its goal is for net-zero emissions by 2050, a commitment the UK government set out in law in 2019. In response to our current climate emergency and urgent need to decarbonise the built environment, the vertical (BArch, MArch) studio theme investigates approaches to the integration of climate resilience and net zero GHG emission design strategies at neighbourhood, building and materials scale. Architectural education has tremendous potential to shift the entire industry towards a net zero carbon architecture and built environment. Architects play an important role particularly in the early design phase when he/she has the greatest opportunity to make design decisions that directly lead to a reduction in the GHG emissions. However, it is not easy for architects to easily understand and visualise how their design contributes to the overall GHG emissions for the built environment. This lack of fundamental knowledge is a result of the traditional lack of integration of sustainability in the mainstream architectural curriculum.
Research Questions
Through research led design, the studio theme aims to investigate two approaches to address this challenge and to bridge the gap between research and design in the context of a mainstream architectural studio:
How to increase knowledge and skills to decarbonise the built environment and create a circular economy and apply this knowledge and skills as a design driver in their studio design
How to improve the integration of climate resilient, net zero carbon and low embodied carbon strategies early and throughout the design process.
Methods
The research method involves literature review in the field and research of the ZEB definitions, ambition levels and analysis of the design strategies employed in the selected Smart Cities projects and the ZEN pilot projects from The Norwegian Research Centre for Zero Emission Neighbourhoods in Smart Cities (ZEN) and EU funded research projects such as CityxChange - Positive Energy Block (PEB), Synikia - Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods (SPEN). The students work individually in the first two tasks on a case study of their choice and in groups for the second two tasks. However, there is a primary emphasis placed on the gathering of evidence through core practice-based architectural fieldwork and the related tactics of observation, drawing and model-making. These are supplemented by site-based drone survey, sketching and photography where feasible.
Finding, Dissemination and Outlook
The outputs from the studio will demonstrate knowledge transfer from selected ‘live’ international research projects to improve net zero knowledge building and skills in mainstream architectural students and to learn how to more easily integrate science-based knowledge on GHG emissions in the early design phase in the studio at both neighbourhood and building scale. The results of the project will deliver concepts and strategies for net zero building and neighbourhood proposals to be integrated into the Belfast Future Campus project, as well as, providing input to potential NI policy change to shift to a net zero carbon built environment through partnership with Belfast City Council senior leaders through the student led project ‘Architects of Change - An Architectonics of Education to bridge the Green Agenda generation gap‘.
For more information on this SuperStudio, please contact Aoífe Houlihan Wiberg