2007 Upjohn Research Grant Recipients
Nonlinear
Biosynthesis
Researchers: Jenny E. Sabin and Peter L. Jones, University of
Pennsylvania
In Nonlinear Biosynthesis, we argue that through the analysis of
biological design problems in specialized three-dimensional
designer microenvironments, the architect is afforded new ways of
thinking about sustainable design by understanding how dynamic
and environmental feedback informs structure and form. Through the
design of digital and algorithmic tools, we aim to escape the
imitation of these biological structures (popularly known as
biomimicry) in favor of biosynthesis, where new tools and models
for performative surface architectures, membrane structures, and
building systems may be generated. The intent of this research
project is to foster new and ongoing dialogues between the
disciplines of architecture and biology and to jointly investigate
fundamental processes in living systems and their potential
application in performative structures and sustainable buildings
and vice versa.
Case
Studies of Carbon Neutrality
Researcher: Alison Kwok, University of Oregon Pacific
Energy Center
The Case Studies of Carbon Neutrality Project will catalog the
design and delivery process for carbon-neutral buildings through a
series of case studies that describe design intent and actual
performance. Research methodologies will include interviews with
selected practitioners from architecture firms on the West Coast on
the design process and strategies that delivered buildings that
meet carbon neutrality. Performance outcomes will be measured by
using a nationally implemented set of investigative protocols that
focus on particular design strategies. By documenting the delivery
process for carbon-neutral buildings, the barriers to sustainable
practice will be better understood by examining the issues faced by
design teams during the design process and the role of clients,
consultants, and contractors. Examining the results of
postoccupancy performance will offer the architecture practice a
means to “close the loop” of design lessons learned in
building design.
Eco-Effective
Design and Evidence-Based Design: Removing Barriers to
Integration
Researchers: Bill Rostenberg, Anshen + Allen
Architects; Mara Baum and Mardelle Shepley, Texas A&M
University
Eco-effective design and evidence-based design are two powerful
trends currently shaping health care architecture. Eco-effective
design, similarly known as sustainable design, addresses the design
and operation of buildings to support improved ecological health
and indoor environmental quality. Evidence-based design addresses
the design and operation of buildings to support positive health
outcomes in hospitals through a growing collection of solutions
informed by research and practical knowledge. Although both trends
have had a significant impact on recent health care architecture,
they are generally executed separately and are considered by many
be at odds with one another.
This study will begin to bridge the perceived gap between both
goals by proposing a structure through which design teams can
effectively integrate them into the design process. The researchers
will identify 15 “centers of excellence” for both
evidence-based design and eco-effective design; compile case study
information on each; and survey one or two administrators of each,
including persons knowledgeable about physical, clinical, and
operational drivers and the facility’s environmental impacts.
It is anticipated that some projects will be identified under both
categories; these will be of special interest. Researchers will
follow up with additional surveys and telephone interviews of
administrators and project design teams, as necessary. Researchers
will analyze and tabulate possible conflicts and synergies between
specific strategies and practices.
Passageways/Portes
et Passages du Retour
Researchers: Coleman Jordan, Muhsana Ali, Paula
Gerstenblatt, David Challier, and Mamadou Sarr, University of
Michigan
Passageways is an interdisciplinary association made up of artists,
academics, architects, scientists, and related professionals that
promotes holistic development in Africa. Holistic is defined as the
accentuation of the integral relationship between various aspects
of society, including environmental, technological, cultural, and
social. Through this approach, Passageways seeks to develop
community-based projects and promote intercultural and
interdisciplinary exchange in visual culture and science between
Africans and the world community. Passageways is presently
developing a Holistic Art Center in Mbodiene, a rural area of
Senegal, where it possess 10 acres of land. The targeted
project for this proposal is the design and construction of our
first model building, which will serve as the nucleus for all of
the Holistic Art Center's activities, incorporating aspects of the
utilitarian elements of all subsequent buildings in order to
facilitate immediate functioning of the establishment.
The primary focus of this initiative is environmental, the
secondary is technological. Our approach seeks to make use of
local, recycled, and natural resources. We will incorporate the
latest in renewable energy technology with a focus on
self-sufficiency
(e.g., wells, irrigation systems, composting toilets, biogas, and
passive solar and renewable energy). Technological studies include
use of materials such as overabundant seaweed as a replacement for
straw in bale-building (due to its high-level termite
protection
and usefulness in climate control); use of local earth-rich clay
for brick and tile making, and cow dung and clay mixtures for brick
forms.