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Celular Ceramics: Reinforced Brick Construction

The ultimate purpose of this research is to propose new models of urban infrastructures and collective spaces for social interaction based on the integration of material, structural, and environmental systems. The project lends itself to operate as a prototypical flexible module with the potential to be deployed onto any pre-existing urban rooftop or public area. The modular system is comprised of hollow ceramic pieces acting as structural columns and water collectors, a modular ceramic floor elevated on pedestals, a lightweight space truss structure, and a waterproof membrane that captures and cleans rainwater through its expansive surface. Subsequently, the rainwater would be channeled through the hollow ceramic columns, from which it would be diverted to pipes below the elevated floor and collected into modular water tanks uniformly distributed within the elevated floor. The water management system as proposed would work to alleviate the effects of flooding and drought through storage as well as release and reduce runoff by capturing water and redirecting it into the tanks. Besides, the materiality of the modular ceramic columns, with their low thermal conductivity, could potentially provide energy-saving cooling benefits. The resulting prototype integrates structural and material strategies to optimize construction aspects related to transportation, assembly and disassembly of building components, as well as thermodynamic questions related to heat transfer and water cycles while helping to foster a sense of community and social interaction.


Conceptualization and Experimentation


Location

Architectural Association
London, UK

Time

2011

Principal Investigator

Juan Jose Castellon

Team

Collaborators

Baek Ki Kim

Sponsors

La Caixa Foundation
EmTech Architectural Association
AluNID

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