SYMBIOSIS 04 MATERIALS

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M O N T H LY M A G A Z I N E “ P L AT E A U T E A M ” A P R I L 2 0 1 4

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SYMBIOSIS

SYMBIOSIS\

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MATERIALS

EDITORIAL

MEET OUR MAGAZINE

Symbiosis >>

Plateau Team

“Symbiosis borns from the hand of Plateau Team with the goal of providing quality information about current issues related to architecture and construction, and always creating a relationship with their project SymbCity developed for the next Solar Decathlon Europe.”

P L A T E A U T EA M | SD E 2014

PLATEAU TEAM

SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE

Plateau Team is one of the twenty interna-

It is an academic competition which is orga-

Plateau Team proposes a change in the city model through a sustainable redensification which limits the current uncontrolled consumption of land.

The aim of the participant teams is to design and build a house that consumes the minimum amount of natural resources and produces the minimum waste during its life-cycle. Special interest is given to the reduction of energy consumption and the generation of the required energy from the sun. During the final stage of the competition the teams will build their houses in Versailles, in a public place named “La Cité du Soleil”.

tional teams selected to participate in the new Solar Decathlon Europe edition, to be held in Versailles. It is mainly composed by architecture students (UAH) and Building Engineering students (UAH and UCLM) together with the collaboration of other faculties and schools from these universities, which will provide their knowledge in order to cover all the necessary areas for the creation of an innovative solar habitat.

nized by the French Ministry of Housing in collaboration with the European Commission that promotes research in sustainable and self-sufficient energy housing development.

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S Y MB IOS IS T E A M MAGA Z INE | Editorial

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Summary >> Symbi sis

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EDITORIAL

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ARTICLES

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MATERIALS

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Symbiosis. The Plateau Team Eco Insulation PCM. Phase Change Material Tadelakt SymbCity House

Edit: Plateu Team for Solar Decathlon Europe2014.

Address: “Press Team”. E-mail press.plateauteamsde14@gmail.com Drafting Articles and Projects: Sergio Hernández, Carlos Pérez, Juan Aguilar, Adderly Bustamante & Marc Cabarga.

Design and Layout: Sandra Urbaneja & Ana Isabel Urbaneja.

Gratefulness: Ángel Cuadrado, Lucia Heras, Javier Núñez.

Monthly Edition in Spanish and English. April 2014 Free Publication for public use, online.

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INTERVIEW

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36 Manifesto House James & Mau Architects Crossway House Richard Hawke Architect BMCE Branches Foster + Partners Architects Meet our Team

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ARTICLE

Eco

Insulation

“Saving Money Saving the Environment”

“From the point of view of energy saving, a good insulation is essential to achieve real saving goals.”

If the insulation has also been built with techniques and processes that respect the environment, we are able to contribute in reducing the environmental footprint of the building. This way we will get the energy savings in the building, but also the saving that comes from the production through sustainable methods.

In the current market there are some patented organic insulations solutions. The ones which seem to have more opportunities for implementation and consolidation in short-term construction systems are those based on cellulose (from recycled paper of magazines, etc…), hemp (ensuring that there are no problems with parasites or putrefaction), wood fibers (good acoustic and thermal insulation), sheep wool (very light), black cork (the most unalterable insulation ever), in OSB (oriented strand boards with high capacity), and sandwich panels with cork elements.

In the case of cellulose-based insulation it’s noticible that the base material is usually wood, whose qualities are well known.

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E C O INS ULAT ION | Article

6 Furthermore, the borax salts of these models, protect against insects and rodents, and avoid mildew and rot, adding to overall improved fire resistance. These materials are non-toxic, and contain no harmful chemicals or additives, achieving a smooth and pleasant look. They don’t cause allergic reactions or skin irritation.

- The level of CO2 emissions must be the minimum, even negative. We aim to achieve a minimal ecological footprint by recycling the raw material.

ECO INSULATION FEATURES As there is no official or accurate concept encompassing sustainable natural insulators, these adjectives are often used lightly, without the necessary rigor for the advertisment of materials that are not really organic or renewable. We can find several factors that determine whether an insulator is more “eco - responsible�, for example: - The material that is manufactured is renewable: recycled paper.

- The energy savings made in its manufacture: We seek the most economical process.

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“Uponor is a leading international solutions for

fluid handling in building and HVAC solutions Invisible. for residential, non-residential and industrialsector.inEuropeandtheUnitedStates.�

E C O INS ULAT ION | Article

WHY ISOLATE MY HOUSE? Climate control basically aims to offset the building’s energy losses. If the building is well insulated, neither cold nor heat will leave the building and therefore there will be less need for heating or cooling.

A clear example is the comparison of a building with a bathtub: If the tub has holes or perforations, and we want to maintain a constant water level, we should leave the water running in constant stream to balance the liters we lose through the holes and the liters we bring through the tap. Another more responsible strategy would be to plug the holes and close the tap.

To get an idea of the enormous amount of energy involved in air conditioning, we have to consider that between 50% and 70% of the energy used in the house is wasted by the air condition and heating systems.

The insulation failure and outflows are the main causes of inefficiency and energy loss in housing. Good insulators represent monetary and energy saving. It also affects the comfort, maintaining a smooth and uniform temperature throughout a house.

You can consider the cost of installing the insulation as an investment, because it is only done once and the energy savings are forever. In a building without insulation, we lose energy through the roof, walls and windows, considered critical in the design of a house.

�Good insulators represent monetary and energy saving.�

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ARTICLE

PCM

Phase Change Material

“An innovation system for storing latent heat”

“The Phase Change Material are innovating materials whose function is to store energy in the form of latent heat with values much more efficient than those used by the specific heat.”

L

atent heat is the energy required for any material to change its phase, in this case we’re focusing on the solid-liquid change. The interest for this type of material is that the energy absorbed by the material during the phase transformation won’t increase body temperature, due to the fact that the absorbed energy that is used to change from solid to liquid and, conversely, in its inverse transformation from liquid to solid, is the same energy absorbed before it is released as a passive strategy to increase the indoor temperature.

There are several phase change materials which act reversibly according to the environmental conditions and are usually low cost. Numerically, the relationship between the thermal energy needed to increase 1ºC in a material, and the energy that is released in a phase

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change, is 80 times superior in the heat increase produced by the specific heat.

PCM. PH A S E C H A NGE MAT E R IA L | Article In addition the energy released by the phase change materials is produced at constant temperature. This feature allows temperature control (as a thermoregulator) reducing temperature variations in a larger range throughout time, and therefore conveys considerable energy savings while achieving to passively maintain comfortable temperatures constant.

- In isolating installations connected to domestic hot water solar thermal collectors. In this case, excess heat absorbed during the day by the collector would be captured by the PCM to release overnight. Under similar conditions, a system of heat collectors with phase change materials relative to a system without them can result significant differences up to 25 째 C higher than in the warehouse with PCM.

Other applications of PCM due to their properties are to obtain hot water by conduction, as well as for cooling surfaces.

Passive cooling has several applications at home and offices: maintaining temperatures in rooms that tend to overheat (computer room, kitchen and electronic devices overall), providing coolness to food.

In construction, the places where the PCM is used most often are:

- An application for thermal energy accumulators systems with low enthalpy geothermal energy has also been developed.

Its role is oriented towards benefiting the latent heat during the night, reducing the dimensions of the tank and getting the circulation pumps to work less time during the day and overnight.

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- More than 135 years in the business of heating, also has a significant presence in the field of air conditioning and renewable energies. Vaillant Group,

“ It’s not what we do, it’s how you do feel ”

“Specialists in energy management and leaders in energy efficiency solutions”

PCM. PH A S E C H A NGE MAT E R IA L | Article

- The integration of PCM in cold stores (big freezer) operates as a passive temperature control system with the goal to reduce the drastic temperature variations that deteriorate the food quality.

CTC is currently developing the PCM, following two very important lines of research: - PCM’s normal conductivity is low but sometimes it requires absorbing or releasing energy more quickly. Therefore carbon-based matrices composites are being developed, the PCM in question will be able to increase its thermal conductivity by 150 times than PCM without matrix.

- It has also been tried to micro-encapsulate different PCM with particle sizes below 15 microns in order to be integrated in hydrated materials as additives to improve the insulating capacity of the whole particle.

�The energy released by the phase change materials is produced at constant temperature. This feature allows temperature control (as a thermoregulator)�

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ARTICLE

Tadelakt

“Luxury waterproof”

“It is a coating with self-supporting capacity based on lime, bright and waterproof, which by their physical characteristics, can be used both indoors and outdoors.”.

It is a natural repellent stucco and is used as a traditional coating bathrooms, kitchens, wet areas such as indoor spas and even palaces for its luxurious finish.

With the tadelakt can produce unique pieces formwork material providing a spatial aspect of unity and continuity. Its elegant materiality has made this stucco is used to give a distinguished look and an excellent gloss finish worthy of the best ornaments.

There aren’t many articles written about the origin Tadelakt. We only know that the first artisans were the Berbers who settled in nor-thern Morocco in the V century BC. Initially the tadelakt was used in the construction of impervious tanks for storage of potable water, a purely functional purpose. Later, it was used as a coating in the hammam (bath complexes of the Arabs), and finally in buildings obtaining recognition for their aesthetic and technical qualities.

Lime for tadelakt is obtained from the calcination of limestone, baked in ovens with olive wood and palm for about 30 hours.

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Once out of the oven, the lime is slaked with a little water and is applied to a sieve of 2.3 mm. It is marketed in bags ready for use.

It is a material that requires an arduous preparation.

TA D E LA KT | Article It needs to be treated after first forming a boulder rubbing on its surface to give it a smooth and polished finish. Finally applies a soap which gives a shiny material which as being made ​​from olive oil gives a hydrophobic material capacity.

Its biggest flaw is its extreme fragility to shocks and the need for periodic maintenance, which is recommended to be annual, and requires the application of soap.

It is important to quickly repair any cracks, because water leaks may occur. Unfortunately tweaks are always visible.

The tadelakt has a marble and finely finished look, with ripples caused by the development with cobblestone, which gives it great beauty and splendor of decorative qualities.

It is generally made ​​ with lime Marrakech. Indeed, Marrakech lime allows a greater thickness due to its rudimentary modeling.

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always around you

Heating and cooling radiant ceiling Zehnder. “The good air comes from above ...�

TA D E LA KT | Article

Its implementation is a detailed operation requiring complex processing not suitable for inexperienced people. Moroccan master craftsmen are called “maalem” and follow an instruction that lasts several years with the purpose to master the technical complex. Knowledge of this traditional process, passed from father to son or from master to apprentice. To become master Tadelakt dedication and patience is required, as it is a material variables, which follows the proportions of the components, and also a sequence of gestures for the application. A particular rhythm in the movement during application which respond to chemical, physical reactions to weather conditions and the type of support is essential.

This suggests to us that the tadelakt is not just a building material, but also the expression of a craftsman symbolic knowledge of a culture that still transmitted orally.

Some manufacturers using lime kilns comes from Marrakech and therefore comply with the technical and aesthetic qualities of this plaster, studied the addition of an additive that allows the operator to manipulate and apply the product in our area more easily.

“The Tadelakt has a marble and finely finished look”

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MATERIALS

18 The

Materials

“Symbcity House�

The SymbCity House design comes from the possibility of assembly and disassembly of the prototype. Therefore, we designed a standard unit of measurement which is based on the dimensions of the supports that modulate our proposal.

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S Y MB C IT Y H OUS E | Materials

The construction system of the house SimbCity House is based on:

1.

An anchored structure integrated to the existing building, in this case, the base is integrated.

2. Structural precast panels.

3. Transportable modules.

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MATERIALS

BASE MATERIAL The material used is mainly Corsican pine. We chose it because it’s a natural Spanish material, and it doesn’t consume too much energy in its construction.

BRACING STRUCTURE The main idea of SymbCity House project is the rehabilitation of the existing buildings by adding a new volume on top of the roof. To prevent overloading the existing building, we install a fixed structure parallel to the façade from the street level to the roof that allows us to expand the apartments in the southern and northern areas of the building.

The bracing structure consists of four frames, each composed of two main pillars, a main beam and four cantilevers connected by a tie bracing structure.

However, since the implementation of the project will be done through the prototype that will be built at Versailles, it’s necessary to describe the materials used in the construction.

The proposed foundation for the prototype consists of some rigid planks lying directly over the ground.

A prefabricated steel structure is placed on these planks, having two different types of elements: 1. Vertical elements: that can adjust to different heights.

2. A horizontal beam framework.

This framework is the first real horizontal level. The first floor will be placed on those beams.

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Sy mb io s i s | 20 S Y MB C IT Y H OUS E | Materials

MATERIALS

STRUCTURAL PANEL SYSTEM We chose this solution for three reasons: 1- The possibility of assembly and disassembly the prototype.

2- Ease of transportation.

3- Versatility of placing.

First, we divided the wall structure, roof and platform in different parts with a common feature, the width of the pieces must correspond to the width of the tracks that we will use.

To assemble each panel, we have to follow four phases:

>> First phase

>> Second phase

We place the uprights, there are made of Corsican pine wooden. They could have 18x6cm section or 12x6cm section, depending on the space (living core or multifunctional).

In order to reduce the thermal bridge, we place some 5x5cm section wooden batten in the opposite direction.

01

>> Third phase

We fill the hole between vertical and horizontal battens with mineral insulation.

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>> Fourth phase

Finally, we close the solution with 1,5cm chipboard on both sides.

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Vegetal façades, despite its potential benefits, are a very unusual practice in the Spanish market and its application has been especially focused on individual buildings.

This technology could be extended to the entire building sector by developing flexible, simple to implement with a competitive cost solutions, capable of being integrated into construction projects. Moreover, these solutions could also be used in the rehabilitation of the existing building envelope and, therefore, part of rehabilitation programs for specific buildings or even entire neighborhoods.

The vegetal facade also incorporates materials and renewable products, abundant and easy to recycle, combined with potential energy savings in refrigeration, that will help improve the environmental performance of buildings.

In the prototype we have a twin vertical garden with two functions.

The external wall protects the east façade against sunlight incidence, while the internal vegetation layer keeps the indoor atmosphere cool and humid during warm days.

The constructive system is adapted to the structural wall, and the twin disposition equilibrates the weight of the vertical garden systems.

Among its many advantages we can highlight the most important such as: • A natural insulation which participates in the energy savings.

• It helps maintain a more regular room temperature.

• It can absorb carbon dioxide and other fine particles cleaning the air.

• Noise insulation.

• A natural look pleasing to the eye.

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S Y MB C IT Y H OUS E | Materials

EAST VEGETAL FACADE

MATERIALS

CLAY COATING Clay coatings for interior walls are an environmentally friendly product with high performance for interior finishes in walls. It regulates the humidity and also isolates noise and sudden changes in temperature.

They also provide great versatility to interior design.

Mortar is made of clay, with no additives, and selected sands, with natural building materials and the concept of “sustainability� in relation to the building.

The relative humidity in spaces covered with clay is maintained by 55 to 60 percent, the healthier percentage, and absorbs bad smells that let you enjoy a clean and healthy air.

The great advantage of the indoor clay mortar is affecting positively the comfort of tenants, and by regulating humidity it increases energy savings by the high thermal inertia, it also improves the absorption of smells and gases, and is an effective acoustic insulation.

Clay coatings have extremely lightness with a lower weight than conventional mortars. We mustn’t forget that the use of these products requires more time than conventional drying.

P L AT E AU TE A M | SD E 2014

The diversity of colors and variety of granule clay mortars allows us to create large interior spaces with interesting visual.

habilitation of the existing buildings by adding a new volume on top of the roof. The extra levels which would be built on the top of the existing building are hanging from an external structure, which allows a flexible distribution without intermediate load-bearing pillars.�

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S Y MB C IT Y H OUS E | Materials

“The main idea of SymbCity House project is the re-

PROJECT

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Manifesto House CARACAVÍ, CHILE. INFINISKI CONSTRUCTION

JAMES & MAU ARCHITECTS

On the top of a hill o Curacavi, in the Metropolitan Region

of Chile, as if it were a castle, this house is strategically located and has a nice panoramic view of the beautiful landscape. It’s a permeable house at its east-west axis, merging on the horizon through a large glass area.

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MA NIF E S TO H OUS E | P roject

This effect creates, in the social area of the house, an environment with high potential and provides warmth to this space where you can see the sunrise or sunset, making it part of a great entertaining experience.

The house forms part of bioclimatic architecture, designed to minimize the energy consumption of their buildings. The passive design has a great advantage in the environment properties.

Like a second skin, the house “dresses and undresses” itself, thanks to ventilated external coverage that manages solar energy as heat that covers the walls and ceiling, depending on your need ofnatural solar heating. The house uses two types of covers or “skins”: wooden panels coming from sustainable forests and recycled mobile pallets.

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PROJECT

The house is distributed around the glass area by more closed volumes in the north-south axis in contrast to the open side, and thus generating a volumetric strain towards the views. At the same time, the construction system is created intentionally to be clothed with a skin using a composition of its horizontal elements, that generates a rich game of light and shadow, that dematerializes its own volumes thus creating an object

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architectural alive and in a position to “stand by�.

Manifesto House shows the potential of this kind of building: bioclimatic design, recycling, reuse and reduction of building materials, non-polluting materials and building systems, and the use of renewable energy. Manifesto House building has achieved an 85% (measured by weight) use of recycled, reused or non-polluting materials.

MA NIF E S TO H OUS E | P roject Manifesto house almost doubles the insulation condition required in many countries.

inside of the container plate and finished with ecological plaster and cellulose fiber panels.

Infiniski uses cellulose insulation (recycled paper), hemp and cork. The 100% cellulose projected insulation is more efficient than the commonly used insulation wool. The inner enclosure is composed of insulation from recycled cellulose projected on the

Through the use of passive thermal insulation elements and the incorporation of alternative energy sources (solar thermal panels), the House achieves a 70 % energy autonomy.

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The Centre for Smart Infrastructure Innovation (CI3) is a public sector entity, general inter est and non-profit whose purpose is to contribute to the development, promotion and development of information techn o l o g y a n d communications (ICT) applied to infrastructure

MA NIF E S TO H OUS E | P roject

The project relies on a bioclimatic architecture that adapts the form and positions the house to its energetic needs. The project is based on a prefabricated and modular design that allows a cheaper and faster constructive method. This modular system also allows thinking about the coherence of the house with possible future modifications, or enlargements, in order to easily adapt to the evolving needs of the client.

The structure consists of three reused shipping containers. A two-part container serves as a structural support for the two containers of the top floor. This structure creates a gate-shaped space “inter-containers� which gives it an extra space, managing to achiev 160 m2 with only three containers (90 m2). This strategy reduces significantly the use of material. Furthermore the gantry moves slightly outwards in one of the ends, creating terraces.

>> DOCUMENTATION AND PHOTOGRAPHS THANKS TO THE ARCHITECTS JAMES & MAU. IMAGES ANTONIO CORCUERA.

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PROJECT

Crossway House “AN ARCHITECTURAL WONDER EMISSION FREE IN ENGLAND“

RICHARD HAWKE ARCHITECT

Crossway House, located in the English countryside of

Staplehurst (Kent) is part of the story of architecture to be sustainable housing that produces zero carbon emissions.

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C R OS S WAY H OUS E | P roject

Designed

by architect Richard Hawke, the arched roof of the house is a vault with a parabolic rather than circular arc. The result allows the roof without additional support and reduce the use of material. The spectacular roof is perhaps based on a pre-fourteenth century art, the dome masonry used primarily in the Spanish Mediterranean and left excellent examples in Catalonia.

The roof has a layer of 26,000 clay tiles handmade locally joined with mortar to create a support network.

At the top of a green roof is prepared to help regulate the temperature inside the house, and the rounded shape of the housing reduces the exterior surface area which in turn helps improve energy savings.

It is a 20 meters long dome cover with vegetation and earth, incredibly thin and efficient, it brings into the pleasant warmth of the brick. In addition to avoiding the use of energy more expensive materials such as concrete, provides a large thermal mass to retain heat, temperature fluctuations by absorbing and reducing the need for central heating or cooling systems.

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Whenever the need arises a temporary structure ...

Rehasa Structures specializes exclusively to the design, calculation and execution of special structures, prefabricated buildings, front stabilizers, propping, shoring, etc. dedication company.

You decide, we design and build your home ...

Wooden Houses of ecological maximum energy efficiency.

The importance of a healthy home...

C R OS S WAY H OUS E | P roject Crossway House has a heating system that combines photovoltaic and thermal with a biomass boiler, which provide housing the energy. In addition, the building envelope is insulated using Phase Change Materials to effectively store heat in the winter and heat in summer regularly.

The rest of the walls are insulated with cellulose or shredded newspaper. Recovered water from the Crossway House roof is also used for its internal use.

The house received a rating of AA as Energy Performance Certificate and is also on track to become the first certified passive house in England.

�... sustainable housing that produces zero carbón emissions.�

Graphic documentation obtained website: http://www.hawkesarchitecture.co.uk/grand-design

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PROJECT

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BMCE Branches CASABLANCA, FEZ, RABAT, MARRAKECH, ELJADIDA, MOROCCO 2007-2009

FOSTER + PARTNERS ARCHITECTS

B anque

Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur (BMCE) is one of Morocco’s leading banks. Prompted by a desire to transform the experience of high-street banking for its customers, the Bank commissioned a series of flagship branches.

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B MC E B R A NC H E S | P roject

Their design follows a modular, thematic approach, with variations in scale and landscaping in response to the different locations. While the branches in Casablanca and Rabat reflect their compact sites in the financial and civic centres on Morocco’s coast, the Fez branch has subtle details that express the city’s artisan heritage.

The buildings that form BMCE Branches are the first project of Foster + Partners in Africa, which have been reinterpreted traditional Moroccan decorations polishing them with a contemporary style.

Have been used energy efficient technologies to achieve greater sustainability, based on the use of local materials.

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PROJECT

Each of the banks is entered through a colonnade and topped by a dome. The soffit of the dome is rendered in tadelakt, a local plaster technique, and the exterior is clad in zellige - a traditional ceramic tile.

Structurally, the buildings comprise a reinforced concrete frame, with bays repeated on a modular grid. The bays are enclosed by glazed panels with deep screens to provide shade and security. The screens are made from a low-iron stainless steel, which is designed to remain cool to the touch, and follow a geometric design based on Islamic patterns.

The combination of screens and stone pillars gives the facades the appearance of solidity, in keeping with the often decoratively carved walls prevalent in Morocco’s refined Arabic style.

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While the building envelope relates to the regional vernacular, the interior is contemporary. The dome form sweeps down into the banking hall to create a sculptural curved bench - a distinctive feature of each branch - which varies in width according to the building’s size.

A simple functional arrangement divides the rectangular footprint equally between the banking hall and support areas.

The modular grid places landscaped pools, with planting in recessed stone rills, around the exterior of the building, inverting the form of the Moroccan riad, with its central courtyard.

Sy mb io si s | 38 B MC E B R A NC H E S | P roject

“

“

The reference in Sustainable Insulation

“The sectors of the building and industry, should acc ept t heir share of responsibility and influence in global warming and the preservation of valuable energy resources.”

windows systems

[

“Install q uality window is critical to achieving good insulation.

KOMMERLING you will keep with you the ideal temperature in your home with the maximum energy saving.

You will enjoy being at home”

[

The European leader in prof ile

systems for windows and doors

B MC E B R A NC H E S | P roject The branches are designed to be energy efficient, combining modern technology with centuries-old methods of passive climate control. One example is the use of ‘earth-tube’ cooling, in which fresh air is drawn into a pipe that encircles the structure below ground and is chilled naturally before being released into the building’s ventilation system.

>>

DOCUMENTATION

AND

PHOTOGRAPHS

THANKS TO THE ARCHITECTS FOSTER + PARTNERS. IMAGES NIGEL YOUNG

BMCE, Rabat - Ground Floor 0

5

10m

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INTERVIEW

“In a good construction it should not lose sight of the environment and try to take advantage of the near by resources.”

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS

Plateau Team >> Construction

Manager Luis López

THIS FOURTH EDITION OF SYMBIOSIS INTERVIEWED LUIS LÓPEZ, CONSTRUCTION MANAGER.

P L A T E A U T EA M | SD E 2014

S: What benefits gets SimbCity House using mud plasters and phase change materials?

L: The combination of these materials provides numerous benefits to Simbcity House. The mud is a traditional material in construction, with many qualities, but currently does not have a widespread use. The phase change materials are materials that slowly are creating their way in the construction.

The combination of both, improves and recovers a material such as the mud plaster for the inside of the housing. Based on the thermal inertia of mud and the addiction of phase change material we obtain a suitable material to maintain comfort levels inside the homes.

S: What are the ecological insulation?

L: They are insulators made from renewable natural resources and with low environmental impact in their manufacture. They are also the isolates produced from the recycling of other materials. Its acoustic and thermal performance are not different to isolates of traditional use. For its elaboration are used natural, vegetable or animal material.

Some examples may be from cellulose, wood, wool, rock wool fibers. . .

S. Benefits or disadvantages of the use of local building materials?

L:The main advantage of the use of local materials in construction, is the knowledge in its use, placement or installation. It is a material that is located in the proximity of construction, reduces costs and CO2 emissions in the transport. However, not always material that is used in a given area is the most suitable or the most appropriate. In a good construction it should not lose sight of the environment and try to take advantage of the near by resources,

but also we had to choose well which elements cannot be obtained from the environment and look the best.

S: What is the life cycle of the materials? You had it in mind to select the different materials?

L: It is the evaluation of the environmental loads associated with a material. This includes emissions in obtaining raw materials, processing, assembly, and in its final phase, energy consumption in all its phases and the effects on the environment. As well as waste and whether or not a reusable material once reached its end.

For the choice of materials has been one of the main premises which we had. In many ways we mark a red line, from which some materials are not going to be used.

S: What determines, for you, that a material is sustainable or not?

L: That is the environment friendly materials, recycled and recyclable or reusable. A way of being friendly with the natural environment not only is also have low levels of contamination in their manufacture or use, is to have a long time of use and maximize the benefits and qualities of products.

S: How important is the choice of a material determined in the industrialized building system Symbcity House?

What are you seeking in the materials that you choose?

L: The choice of materials is determined by the marked industrialization and the construction process. The most important aspects of these materials are that they are easy to work, they do not require much expertise, easy to transport, and adaptable.

All this, without losing sight features and qualities.

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ME E T OUR T E A M | I n terv iew

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44 SPONSORS

BUILDING A GREAT TEAM

SPONSOR

>> Symbcity House

“We are looking for companies who want to sponsor us. Feel free to contact our finance team for more information or download our “sponsor dossier” you will find in our web page: plateauteam.com.”

Would you like to appear in our magazine “Symbiosis”??

“Symbiosis” gives you the opportunity to be part of their publications, if you or your company want to be sponsored, do not hesitate to contact the press team “Press Team”. Write to our E-mail:

press.plateauteamsde14@gmail.com

P L A T E A U T EA M | SD E 2014

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| INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORTERS

| S O L A R D EC AT H LO N 2014 O RGA N I ZE R S

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S Y MB C IT Y H OUS E | S pon s ors

| U N I V E R S I T I ES

PLATEAU TEAM

TEAM FOR SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE 2014