Department of architecture - MIT School of Architecture + Planning

MIT School of ArchITecTure + PlAnnIng 38
building +
energy
efficiency
hArneSSIng The MoveMenTS of crowDS
march candidates James graham and thaddeus Jusczyk took
first place in an international competition with their plan to
harness the everyday movements of crowds as a source of
energy. their proposal for the crowd farm was based on the
notion that sustainable energy production will increasingly
reject monolithic power plants in favor of varied and dispersed
micro-generation – from the sun, the wind, from water and
geothermic activity, and even from ourselves. pictured below,
a model of a responsive flooring system that absorbs vibrations
of movement, which can then be used to generate power;
pictured right, a prototype of a stool that harvests energy
from the act of sitting. images by James graham and thaddeus
Jusczyk. ArchITecTure
IncorPorATIng DAylIghT In buIlDIng DeSIgn
motivated by the fact that more than a third of the
energy used in the united States is consumed in
buildings, and 25-40% of that is used for electric
lights, researchers in the Building technology
program are working on how to better incorporate
natural light into building design. pictured here,
marilyne andersen’s design of an energy efficient
daylight control system. photo by marilyne andersen.
ArchITecTure
SAMPlIng of AcTIvITIeS buIlDIng + energy effIcIency 39
reInvenTIng PrefAbrIcATIon
larry Sass, assistant professor of computation
in the Department of architecture, was one
of five architects featured in a major show at
the museum of modern art. Home Delivery:
Fabricating the Modern Dwelling was staged
in response to increasing concern about issues
such as sustainability and the swelling global
population, issues that have once again put
prefabrication in the spotlight as a potential
solution to a host of pressing problems. Sass’
contribution, yourhouSe, was a reinterpretation
of new orleans style ‘Shotgun’ housing using
recycled plywood as the primary structural
material. pictured here, Sass with his digitally-fabricated
roof assembly. photo by Donna
coveney/mit. ArchITecTure
InTellIgenT buIlDIng InfrASTrucTure
motivated by the recognition that buildings use more than a third of all energy in the united States – and 70% of the
electricity – with the greatest demand being for lighting, heating and cooling, researchers at the center for Bits and
atoms, led by neil gershenfeld, are exploring the use of intelligent building infrastructure for energy efficiency. early
trials have found that as much as a third of a building’s energy consumption can be recovered if its components can
collaborate – so that, for example, air handlers don’t push conditioned air through open windows, lamps can adjust
their brightness in response to natural light, and heating and cooling can vary with the occupancy of a space. this
makes intelligent infrastructure one of the most accessible opportunities for significantly reducing the environmental
and economic impact of energy consumption, and because of the center’s internet 0 initiative, it’s now feasible to
integrate internet access into a building’s infrastructure, thus merging network and building architecture. pictured
here, the media house in Barcelona, a test-bed for internet 0. photo by Vincent gaullart. MeDIA lAb