Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Biofacade Technology and Microalgae-Covered Buildings by XTU Architects
About XTU Architects
The biofacade technology provides natural insulation, absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. XTU Architects proposes algae-covered towers for Hangzhou.
Huangzhou, China, can win another daring architectural project. It is that the French studio XTU Architects developed a project of four twisted glass towers. So far so good. The building is even more curious to have the facade lined with panels with microalgae.
Called French Dream Towers, the buildings must include biofacade technology. The algae layer provides natural insulation and compensates for the building's environmental impact by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.
"The culture of microalgae on the facade of building is a process developed by XTU for several years. It allows symbiosis: the biofacade uses the thermal building to regulate the temperature of algae and at the same time these biofacades allow a much better insulation of the buildings", architects said in a statement.
Arup was a pioneer in biofacade technology five years ago, with the world's first algae building in Hamburg, Germany.
Microalgae growing in glass panels can be used to generate renewable energy. According to the publication, XTU Architects suggested that in case of its Hangzhou towers, algae could be harvested for use in medicines or cosmetics.
One of the towers should include restaurants, a panoramic bar, a hotel, a spa and a beauty salon. Another tower would be dedicated to art, with galleries, etc. Already the last tower will be for business, with offices, startups and spaces of coworking.
Largest Greenhouse in the World - Tropicalia
About Coldefy & Associates
French firm Coldefy & Associates has presented concept project of their design of the world’s largest tropical greenhouse situated under one roof. This project was designed in collaboration with energy company Dalkia. Greenhouse will be situated in Pas-de-Calais, France. It will be called Tropicalia, that will cover an area of 215,000 square feet (20,000 square meters). There will be a tropical forest, turtle beach, a pool for Amazonian fish, and a one-kilometer-long walking trail, where the visitors can walk by an 82-foot-high (25-meter-high) waterfall, 82-foot-long (25-meter-long) “tactile pool” with koi carp, and an Olympic-size pool with Amazonian fish that can grow up to 3 meters in length. It can be seen through an aquarium glass or from the pontoon. It's assumed to be a “harmonious haven” where visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of nature under a single domed roof.
Coldefy & Associate programme aims to create a stable 26-degrees-Celsius environment within the greenhouse. To achieve this, the architects adopted a solution to using a combination of structural steel and ETFE plastic technology.
The scheme will feature a “double-dome” of 200-foot x 13-foot (60-meter x 4-meter) ETFE strips forming a pressurized “cushion,” allowing UV light to pass through while controlling thermal conditions inside. A third layer of ETFE underneath the structure will accumulate heat generated by the greenhouse effect to be exploited for thermal energy. In order to further enhance the scheme’s energy performance, and to integrate the large structure with its natural surroundings, the dome will be partially embedded in the landscape. These measures create an energy-self-sufficient scheme allowing for energy to be redistributed to surrounding buildings.
All the favorable conditions for flora and fauna will be created.
At the opening of Tropicalia, it is planned to attract about 500,000 visitors a year. There will be an auditorium, bar/restaurant, bed and breakfast, and a scientific area dedicated to national and international collaboration, containing a conference room, laboratory, and clinic.
It is expected that construction of Tropicalia will begin in 2019 and scheduled to be opened in 2021. The cost of this project is $62-million.
Solar passive house design, France
Aesthetically, the solar passive house design (France) is very similar to a traditional house. Design of the facades is open to the southern sun, and is closed to the energy loss to the north. The structure of the house is assembled from prefabricated wooden panels.
Design: Karawitz Architecture
Photography: Karawitz and Herve Abbadie
Limestone home, Antilles islands (Caribbees), France
This beautiful limestone home (Antilles islands (Caribbees), France) is situated on a thin, high peninsula of the St. Barthelemy island. The facades are sliding glass panels. This creates a seamless connection between the exterior spaces and the main living space.
Architecture: Barnes Coy Architects
Photography: Robert Moore Brown
Louvre Museum, Louvre Pyramid, Paris, France (+plan)
The monumental appearance of the steel and glass pyramid fixed in the middle of the Cour Napoleon provides a focal point that compliments the design and scale of the Louvre. The scale of the large glass pyramid, which is designed to the proportions of the Pyramid of Giza, does not detract from the historical architecture of Louvre rather the juxtaposition of the modern construction and the French Renaissance style of Louvre creates a complimentary effect that increases beauty and each of the design’s details.
Architecture: I.M. Pei
Photography: Greg Kristo, Flavio Bragaia, Reji K. A
Apartment interior design in Paris, France
Volumetric elements of apartment interior design in Paris (France) create an unusual rhythm in the new residential space. Volumes on the walls and ceiling are not only aesthetic value, but also hidden in technical equipment of the apartment, such as air-conditioning units, lighting, ventilation and audio.
Architects: Pascal Grasso Architectures
Eiffel Tower Plans and Stages of Construction, Paris, France
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 and is 320 metres high. The tower was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel and is situated on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Work on the construction of the tower began in January 1887 and lasted two years by 300 workers.
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