Department of architecture - MIT School of Architecture + Planning

MIT School of ArchITecTure + PlAnnIng 40
building +
energy
efficiency
revIvIng AncIenT conSTrucTIon
TechnIqueS
a group of mit students engaged in a longterm
test of rammed earth – a construction
technique used in the great Wall of china
2000 years ago – to see how relevant it might
be to the modern industrialized world and, in
particular, to the new england climate. photo
by amber frid-Jimenez.
ArchITecTure
DeSIgnIng leeD golD
the macallen Building in South Boston – designed
by nader tehrani’s architectural firm
office da and rated leeD gold – features innovative
technologies that will save over 600,000
gallons of water a year while consuming 30%
less electricity than a conventional building.
it includes a sloped green roof that controls
storm water drainage, filters pollutants out of
the air, reduces heating and cooling loads and
provides an ecosystem for wildlife. a 20,000
square-foot outdoor terrace provides similar
benefits as the green roof. photo by John horner.
ArchITecTure
MoDelIng 3D STrucTureS In MInuTeS
a team of mit architects, engineers and computer
scientists developed a new computer tool for
modeling three-dimensional structures. the method
shows in three dimensions the lines and points of
pressure in a structure’s building blocks, illustrating
how each block reacts in relation to the others;
the designer can change the form of a proposed
structure and the forces acting on it even while the
program is running, optimizing a three-dimensional
model in a matter of minutes. modeling image by
axel Kilian. ArchITecTure
Creating Mass-CustoMized,
zero-energy HoMes
MIT’s Open Source Building Alliance,
directed by Kent Larson in the Department
of Architecture, is engaged in
a collaboration with New Hampshire
builder Bensonwood Homes and other
industry partners to develop and test a
process for creating highly responsive
homes. A goal of the OPEN Prototype
Initiative is to engage industry in the
development of scalable solutions for
creating mass-customized, zero-energy
homes, bringing together advanced
academic research with sophisticated
commercial design and production
processes. Pictured here, one of many
fit-out solutions; sliding panels and
doors attached to the chassis allow for
rapid reconfiguration. Image by Kent
Larson and Carla Farina.
arCHiteCture/Media LaB
STuDyIng PeoPle’S InTerAcTIon wITh
hoMe envIronMenTS
the house_n research group, headed by Kent larson,
operates a residential research facility called the placelab
in central Square, designed for the study of people’s
interaction with new technologies and home environments.
motivated by awareness that the home is rapidly becoming
a center for health and well-being, learning, communication,
energy conservation, entertainment, work and care of
our nation’s elderly – all of which require new technologies
and services – placelab has been designed to combine the
capabilities of a highly-instrumented research lab with the
natural environment of a home. the one-bedroom apartment
has literally miles of wire within the walls, and hundreds
of sensors integrated into cabinetry-like components to
measure light, temperature, humidity and the interaction of
people with the environment. ArchITecTure
SAMPlIng of AcTIvITIeS buIlDIng + energy effIcIency 41
greenbAcKS for green DeveloPMenT
green development is not only good for the
environment, it’s increasingly good business
too. that was the bottom-line message at a
symposium on sustainable real estate, sponsored
by the alumni association of mit’s center
for real estate. held at the mit faculty club,
the symposium attracted a crowd of real estate
industry professionals, finance professionals
and real estate students who heard prominent
business leaders affirm that the growing demand
for environmentally sustainable building
represents an opportunity for businesses to
benefit, often richly. reAl eSTATe
A houSe MADe of SolAr TexTIleS
Sheila Kennedy creates designs for flexible photovoltaic materials that may change the way buildings
receive and distribute energy. these new materials, known as solar textiles, work like the
now-familiar photovoltaic cells in solar panels; made of semiconductor materials, they absorb
sunlight and convert it into electricity. for her recent project, Soft house, Kennedy transformed
household curtains into mobile, flexible energy-harvesting surfaces with integrated solid-state
lighting. Soft house curtains move to follow the sun and can generate up to 16,000 watt-hours
of electricity – more than half the daily power needs of an average american household. pictured
here, a model of Soft house. image courtesy of KVa matx. ArchITecTure