Façade Product Passport ‘under construction’

Abhishek Holla (Materials & Components) was working as an architect in India when he visited the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment in Delft in 2017 as part of a research project. He became interested in the curriculum and decided to take a Master’s degree. “In India, I was working on construction projects using prefab components. I brought this experience with me to Delft, where I studied façade technology in greater depth. The lectures were often on aspects of circularity, such as designing demountable façade components. I was intrigued by the question of how, once façade panels have reached the end of their lifespan, they can be at the beginning of a new product cycle.” He also got to grips with the world of computational design. “My graduation project brings both of these aspects together.”

Abhishek has great appreciation for the initiatives from the VMRG – Branch Association for the Metal Window and Façade Industry – to promote circular production of façades, to use emerging technologies for this, and to develop standards that lead to a high-quality re-use of façade components. “I was keen to further their work by developing a tool that can organise relevant information and use it to aid decision-making at the end of the lifespan of a building façade.” He started a preliminary framework using pre-existing knowledge in literature. “By asking people involved about the main difficulties and their desires concerning the information needed for re-using façade technology, I was able to develop the tool further and refine it.”

Façade components and materials usually end up on the scrap heap, in part because a lack of insight into the composition and residual value means it is not clear who will benefit from re-use of components or reclamation of materials. “Revenue models in the construction sector need to find more of a balance with the global footprint of building processes.” Abhishek hopes, for example, that making it clear how the carbon tax that applies to new materials relates to recycling can resolve this kink in the circularity process. “My proposal is to chop up the life cycle of façade components into phases that are associated with the registration of production processes, properties and performance. This gives a general reference framework for the actual CO2 emitted rather than an estimated average.” He is keen to stress that his research hasn’t produced any ready-to-use applications, but rather an industry wide framework which needs further refinement. “That will take a lot more time and energy, but we’ve made a start.”

Common haven for layered population

Prizewinner Luca Fontana (Buildings & Neighbourhoods) isn’t hanging about. He already worked for Studio Fuksas in Rome and next year he will be moving to London. During his studies in Delft, he was amazed at the apparent contradiction between the high degree of liveability in northern European cities, and Copenhagen in particular, as consistently shown in rankings, and the high degree of spatial segregation between ethnic groups. “Sometimes people simply can’t afford to live somewhere else, sometimes they feel happier in a neighbourhood with people similar to themselves. The fact is that for certain groups, such as people with a migration background, integration is difficult. I am a dreamer, but a realistic one. I don’t believe that you can do away with the causes of inequality using spatial design. But you can create an environment that promotes social inclusion.”

Luca came up with a redesign of the Skydebanehaven, a park with a playground in Copenhagen’s district of Vesterbro. He projected a public building in the park as a multifunctional and extremely accessible meeting place for people from diverse backgrounds. Haven, as his concept is called, is built up of vertical and horizontal platforms that allow a high density of usages and users. A room can function as a theatre or a library as required by the citizens involved, or as a room for yoga or judo classes.

Heat generation and a wetland

From a social haven to the port of Rotterdam: shaped by industrial activity, the Waalhaven harbour district’s large paved surface area and unvaried vegetation mean there is a distinct lack of biodiversity. From the Urban Ecology and Ecocities design studio, Hanvit Lee (Cities & Regions) explored ecological values and opportunities to raise them.
She inventoried the existing flora and fauna in the harbour district as well as the opportunities for generating clean energy. She used this inventory as a basis for exploring the spatial interventions that would benefit the nature, environment and residents of the surrounding districts.

The pièce de résistance is the construction of a wetland in the south-eastern corner of the harbour mouth. “This landscape is an important transition zone between land and water, with habitats that increase the biodiversity in the area.” Where the wetland adjoins the inhabited world with its busy roads etc., Hanvit envisages a bridge/ecoduct linking residents in the adjacent Charlois district and the wildlife in the substantial city park, the Zuiderpark, with the harbour district. “Corridors like this are vital for the spread and development of nature in the city.”

Self-sufficient food system

After taking her Bachelor’s degree in Turin, Eleonora Farcomeni (Cross-scale) did a Master’s programme in Delft in order to find out more about material and substance cycles in cities and districts. “As an architect, I want to be able to make buildings and areas based on circular design. You can see my graduation research as a proof of competence.” De Bretten, a green corridor with a surface of around 130 hectares to the south of Amsterdam’s western dock area, drew her attention. Could it be possible to create a communal food system that meets the needs of the local neighbourhood? Besides sports fields and allotments, the area also contains an area of wild landscape. “This nature area must be protected. I have endeavoured to tap into the local resources using a minimum of interventions.”

Eleonora was inspired by the Parc de la Vilette in Paris, where a range of different landscapes and functions have been created using modest interventions. “At the heart of my design is a pavilion, The Food Community House, which plays a central role in a food system which combines gardens and fields used for organic food production with social activities such as harvesting and communal preparation of food. The idea is that this place encourages local residents to a more conscious use of food.” The pavilion has a modular design with components made of locally sourced timber, such as willow.