Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

The Life Aquatech project by THINK Tank investigates relationship between the building systems that mediate between interior and exterior and architectural design, via shifting from air based to water based systems. The initial research started with a general concern about poor development of building systems over time which has huge impact on human comfort and its relation to architectural form. The authors advocate that the buildings can be seen as a layering of architectural design and structural support, similar to skin and bones. However, the systems that allow for human comfort act as mediators between interior and exterior operate like grey matter which lacks real interaction with the design and architecture.

As the research aims to find an ideal relationship between the user’s comfort in relation to temperature and how the building can self-regulate in order to provide it, it focuses on the behavior of fluid as part of both generative design methodologies and evaluation tools for functional criteria. The Life Aquatech proposes the deployment of a building system where water plays an integral role in the building tectonic.

By investigating both biological systems and current practices in the building sector, research seeks the development of a new building system based on fluid movement that balances performance with qualitative aspects of space. Twentieth Century advancements in climate control systems have enabled the disconnection of architecture from the environment while causing detachment of those technological systems from the architecture itself.

The current trend in the building sector is switching from air based HVAC systems to hydronic systems, systems that use water as the primary method of heat transfer, because of water’s ability to maintain its temperature. The proposed water management system is conceived as operating in relation to seasonal and daily cyclical needs in relation to water, where the behavior of the building expresses how it engages with these criteria both in real-time performance and in the design process through the use of lightweight rigid material and soft expandable material.

Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

Life Aquatech , Building systems, THINK Tank, Armando Bussey, Edward Lückmann, Vichayuth Meenaphant, Ana Margarita Wang-Zunig, water-based systems, human comfort

 

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