Z E M C H 2 0 1 2 I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e
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play in formulating the architectural language. It is also necessary to clarify the identity
and the manner in which these formal links are presented to the urban context.
Furthermore, the formal potential of the
sunspace locus
must be viewed as an
opportunity to repossess or recuperate spaces and conditions of belonging of which the
population has been deprived by frantic urban densification. The hectic conquest of
‘empty spaces’ that encourages the increase in volume has deprived the individual of
any chance of identifying with the (urban) space he occupies and that he is incapable of
experiencing fully as a result. The speed with which living space has been consumed
leaves no possibility of recognition in the place occupied, a denatured, de-characterized
and disqualified space; it is thus downgraded from urban space for the inhabitant to a
contracted interspace, a mere distance separating building objects.
In such a context, the
sunspace locus
is connotated as a place of:
-
repossession of green spaces:
the
sunspace locus
is a tool that can be used by inhabitants to re-establish contact with
nature, both directly and perceptually: green walls integrated with façade systems
comprising bioclimatic sunspaces, winter gardens; cultivated greenery endeavours to
replicate nature;
-
repossession of open spaces:
the
sunspace
is a tool whereby part of the social space of which the city has been
deprived as service and community spaces are restored in a private dwelling dimension
that allows air and natural light to be enjoyed.
-
repossession of identity and the sense of belonging to the urban context:
the
sunspace locus
is a tool for restoring to the inhabitants a sense of belonging to their
dwelling place because it reduces the distance between buildings and re-establishes a
suitable space from which to perceive the city. It affords ways and means and ample
time to redefine the boundaries between private domestic space and another space
outside the dwelling.
Appreciation of the organizational logic underlying the dwelling as a function of the
inclusion of the sunspace locus involves as an initial phase the organization of the data
and then the connotation of the component parts of the architectural project (the dwelling
and the entire architectural body). This research approach tackles two aspects of the
sunspace object – energy efficiency and shape – in parallel for the purpose of “bridging”
these two values. One possible outcome is that leading to a translation of the
prescriptions regarding energy efficiency into an “architectural vocabulary”.
Validation of the results of the design practical training course
A preliminary validation of the research results was performed during the technical
architecture design practical training course as part of the master’s degree course in
building-architectural engineering. The students attending the practical training were
asked to carry out a residential building project using passive systems in particular
including bioclimatic sunspaces. The aim of the one year practical training course was to
investigate the relation between architectural form and building techniques and the
shape implications (with the functional and language consequences) deriving from the
application of passive energy engineering devices.
Also in this case the underlying conviction was that the use of energy efficient systems
must follow a specific strategy and not consist merely in the sum total of solutions
deriving from the designer’s experience and the economic compatibility of the actual
construction. The approach therefore involved developing experimental work in which
the course students, organized into groups, had to measure themselves with a
residential building project that was highly characterized from the architectural standpoint
and at the same time based on the latest innovations in passive energy saving
technologies. This was all encapsulated in a coordinated low-cost building operation
aimed at rehabilitating an outlying suburb of the capital. This basic assumption was then
