Architecture community chips in to help combat COVID-19 pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic expands globally, architects are leveraging their technologies, facilities, and research skills to aid in the fight against the pandemic.

Jupe Health, a humanitarian startup, has developed a new type of shippable hospital room that can be quickly distributed to crisis zones amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The units are enclosed by a faceted exterior in soft-top or hardcovers and are either solar or battery-powered and fitted with water-disposal.

Humanitas Healthcare and the World Economic Forum, is developing Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments (CURA). It is an open-source, design and build initiative that converts shipping containers as biocontainment pods. 

SheltAir, a domed bio-containment pod erected using inflatable cushions could help coronavirus patients isolate. The pods consist of a grid shell of plastic rods, which is assembled flat and pushed up through a pneumatic formwork of inflatables. 

STAAT Mod (Strategic, Temporary, Acuity-Adaptable Treatment), a prefabricated modular solution that can be deployed anywhere, will provide hospital-level care to patients suffering from COVID-19. They can be deployed in diverse environments from convention centers to free-standing hospital expansions.

Shipping containers turn into mobile intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients

Architects have turned to shipping containers to make everything from pop-up shops to co-working spaces, and even makeshift homes. But now the humble corrugated steel box might have found one of its most useful reincarnations yet, in the hands of an international network of architects and engineers who have come together to convert them into two-bed intensive care units for the coronavirus pandemic.

The open-source project, dubbed Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments (CURA) is harnessing the skills of experts from around the world to develop self-contained, mobile ICUs that can be plugged into hospitals or installed in parking lots.

The first prototype unit, currently under construction in Italy, is nearly complete and is scheduled to be deployed in a hospital in Milan.

CURA units are designed to be far more than a giant metal box with a couple of beds inside. Each is set up with negative air pressure, creating a bio-confinement environment that can restrict the virus from leaving the chamber.

It's one major advantage over the tent-like centers that hospitals have been setting up to cope with the influx of patients, which could put doctors and other health-care workers at risk of infection.

Since the approximately six-meter-long shipping container design is more or less standard around the world, the CURA design should be more or less adaptable around the world.

The B.Arch from MIDAS is designed to help architects create innovative solutions to address the needs of the community. Admissions are open. Visit www.midas.ac.in to join now.

Murals lighten up Chennai's Kannagi Nagar

Kannagi Nagar home to nearly 80,000 people mostly living in identical multi-storied apartments now sports a brand-new facelift. Mural artists national and international in association with Greater Chennai Corporation have added bright murals to make the apartments colorful and lively. 

Over 100 local kids were also involved in the process. 

Murals play an important role in architecture as they bring art into the public sphere. At MIDAS, architecture students organize regular mural art training camps to help locals gain insights into the world of murals. 

Drawing inspiration from the livelihoods of locals, the color tones and elements of the mural at Kannagi Nagar reflect the environment. 

The building that welcomes one to Kannagi Nagar sports a medley of gradients. The Geometrical shapes are filled with yellows, reds, and blues 

  

The second wall portrays a woman with a powerful gaze in vibrant colors of green, orange and blue. 

  

Adjacent to these is the mural inspired by scenes from the Koyambedu flower market.  

  

A little away from this network of walls, stands a mural dedicated to the inhabitants of the area who had to move after the devastating tsunami of 2004. It depicts a mother-daughter duo, amidst waves, looking upwards, surrounded by iris flowers. 

A boost for green buildings! Public buildings in France to be built with at least 50 % timber

The French government has announced plans for a sustainability law that will ensure all new public buildings are built from at least 50 percent timber,  natural materials or bio-based materials that are made from matter derived from living organisms like hemp and straw, says a report in dezeen.com

Like wood, they have a significantly lower embodied carbon footprint compared to other construction materials like concrete and steel.

The measure will be implemented by 2022 and will include all public buildings financed by the government.

The move was inspired by Paris and its recent low-carbon mandate to build structures for the 2024 Summer Olympics from timber.

Green construction offers eco-friendly solutions that can drastically reduce the carbon footprint created by traditional building methods.

The ultimate goal of green building and design is to create sound structures that possess environmental sustainability without the sacrifice of the kinds of modern comforts people expect. Both architects and builders of eco-friendly buildings follow comprehensive reuse, recycle, and repurpose model in as many facets of construction as possible. Here are some ways that modern construction is making strides to decrease environmental impact both during and after the construction of new structures.

Generating clean energy

One of the most effective ways to decrease the impact of a building on the environment is to make sure that it is constructed in a way that generates a high percentage of the energy it consumes. Structures that generate energy on their own like solar panels on the roof and walls do not draw as much power from plants. 

The reduced draw on these resources means fewer polluting fuels need to be burned in order to generate the energy needed to run the systems within the building. 

Increasing HVAC system efficacy

Eco-friendly construction companies also seek to make the heating and cooling systems of the structures they design and build environmentally sound. Making them more efficient consequently reduces the amount of energy it takes to effectively run heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Eco-friendly insulation is also becoming a more popular choice.

Sardar Patel Stadium: All you need to know about the world's largest cricket venue

On February 24, the newly renovated Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad was the venue for US President Donald Trump's ‘Namaste Trump’ event with Narendra Modi. It was the first major event to be held at the newly constructed Sardar Patel Stadium. Though not officially open as more work is underway, let’s take a look at the stadium.

When it officially opens its doors to cricket enthusiasts in March 2020, it will become the game’s largest arena in the world. Built at a cost of Rs 700 crore, the new structure has a seating capacity of 1,10,000 spectators.

Designed to impress

The hallmark of the stadium is its design. A unique feature of the stadium is the LED lights on the roof instead of the usual floodlights at cricket grounds. This will be the first of its kind design in India. The lights are installed on an anti-bacterial, fireproof canopy with PTFE membrane that covers 30 meters of the total 55 meters breadth of the sitting area. 

The roof has been specifically designed to be lightweight and separate from the seating bowls in order to allow for easy movement in times of any calamity. The structure also eliminates the need for pillars, giving spectators an unobstructed view of the entire field from any place in the stadium.

Apart from the main ground, the stadium will also accommodate several other features, including an Olympic sized swimming pool, indoor cricket academy, badminton and tennis courts, squash arena, table tennis area, 3D projector theatre and a clubhouse with three practice grounds and 50 rooms. The parking lot can accommodate 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers. 

The stadium will also have excellent ‘sub-surface’ drainage facilities that will help dry out the outfield within 30 minutes.

There will be three entry points to the stadium. A 'Sky-Walk' will allow spectators to directly enter the stadium within 300 meters from disembarking at the nearby metro station. 

Top 5 cricket grounds by capacity

1. Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera Stadium), Ahmedabad, India. Seating capacity: 110,000

2. Melbourne Cricket Ground. Melbourne, Australia. Seating capacity: 100,024

3. Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India. Seating capacity: 80,000

4. Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur, India. Seating capacity: 65,000

5. Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia. Seating capacity: 60,000

How Technology Is Changing Architecture

Technology is revolutionizing the way that architects work. Now, they are pursuing new horizons in design, experimenting with adaptability, robotics, 3D printing, and reality.

Today’s architects have access to data and analytics that allow them to focus more on innovation versus production while optimizing performance.

Architects now have the potential to become fully-fledged service providers, creating new revenue streams and ongoing client relationships by embracing new technology.

The following are some of the thrilling technologies that are shaping the face of architecture.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI will make the planning process of the architects significantly easier, giving them access to countless amounts of data, creating models, interpreting the building environment, and creating cost estimates. All this information will help architects to shorten their design and building time.

Internet of Things (IoT) 

IoT significantly improves automation and remote monitoring for many tasks, allowing architects to remain hands-off more than ever before. For example, IoT sensors can monitor soil consolidation and degradation, as well as a project’s environmental impact.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual Reality allows architects to push the boundaries of visualization, giving clients new ways to experience and understand a building long before it is actually built. It makes clients more confident in the design and reduces time spent in meetings and the use of lateral design revisions.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Unlike virtual reality, augmented reality includes virtual elements that interact with what already exists. Augmented Reality can provide a more accurate view of what will be built, including all layers of materials and installations that are often complex to understand through drawings.

The smart courses in AI, IoT, VR & AR for Architecture at #MIDAS is truly unique among architecture programs. It is a  commitment to creating a culture of experimentation to expand the discipline. Visit us at www.midas.ac.in to find out more

Five ways architects can fight climate change

With rising temperatures and environmental impacts, signs of climate change are on the rise. Scientists are now warning that global temperatures are accelerating and are expected to climb an average 3.2°C globally by 2100 if unchecked.

But there’s hope. Buildings are a major contributor to global warming, and architects can make a huge impact by changing how they practice.

1.Adapt and retrofit existing buildings

It’s vital to focus on the operating energy of new construction. But the vast majority of the buildings already exists and it needs changes. Deep energy retrofits are a critical need that architects can use.

Before deciding to invest in an existing building,  a vulnerability assessment has to be done to ensure the building is not at high risk.

2.Select carbon-smart materials

Manufacturing steel and concrete results in massive global warming impact. Reducing carbon emission over the next few years is a particularly important strategy because it will help meet large scale reduction targets.

To cut embodied carbon in new construction, reduce the use of the highest-emitting materials like concrete, steel, and aluminum. Make sure to not use more materials than that is needed for the job.

3.Pursue renewable energy

A significant amount of electricity needs of buildings can be effectively covered by using solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic cells. Renewable energy technologies have several benefits such as sustainability and a long lifetime of energy systems.

4. Use locally sourced materials

Transportation of materials determines greenhouse gas emissions as a result of burning fuel. Therefore, by reducing these distances, a project will leave a much smaller carbon footprint. Though sourcing locally has its limitations in terms of reduced price competition for materials and availability, forming a balance between what can be found locally or elsewhere, will remain to have a positive impact on a project’s sustainability.

5.Reuse building materials

Every year, the construction industry sends tons of non-industrial waste to landfills. Much of this waste actually derives from demolition taken before the beginning of new construction projects. Reusing discarded raw material not only cuts down on costs, but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions when manufacturing new materials.