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Urban Urchin

2014

Holon Design Museum, Holon, Israel

Project Description

Expanding from shade to ventilation system, the proposal introduces the opportunity to address air quality through the use of filtration media. Simultaneous to its other functions, the top surface of cantilevering thermobimetal can be optimally calibrated to reflect light and direct heat into the base of a solar chimney throughout the sunny times of day. The hot air will naturally rise and the displacement will pull cooler air in from below. Once air movement is established and energy collected, air filtration can be integrated. Given that air quality is among the most significant human health impacts of our largely urbanized world, the development of a passive approach to creating pockets of fresh air--akin to a park--within the city could become a new tool in any city’s community health strategy. With its enhanced capability of air movement and filtration, this new surrogate tree will be an icon of healthful, outdoor living--all with a mind of its own.

Credits and Information

MATERIALS: ETFE, aluminum, thermobimetal, steel, wood, concrete
PROJECT TEAM: Doris Sung, Hannah Woo, Dylan Wood, Justin Kang, Scarlett Ziwei, Yuan Yao
ENGINEER: Russel Fortmeyer, Sustainability Engineer (ARUP)

 

FUNDING: The City of Holon

The Holon Design Museum, a leading museum for design and contemporary culture, invited twenty-five international emerging architects to present their work and propose designs for urban shade for the city of Holon. The following year, selected projects including Urban Urchin and Bloom, were exhibited in a larger exhibition hosted by the museum.

 

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