Ashley Chiffy
Alexandrea Volungus (Bio|Sphere)
Zach Fields
Sara Svisco (Bee-Havior)
Ivan Todd
Jarrett Trudeau (Hexo-Scallop)

Laura Garófalo-Kahn

ARC 606
Spring 2019

MArch

The Ecological Practices Graduate Research studio designed experimental bioclimatic façade installations that address the role of the architectural surface in the building’s adaptation to its local ecology and its ability to provide ecosystem services. Students explored tectonics of active and passive systems as a way to raise questions of environmental regeneration, resilience, and adaptability in the context of contemporary building ecologies.

These reimagined infrastructures are derived from the intertwined relationship of natural processes and man-made constructs found in biophilia and biomimicry, aimed at breaking down the distinction between natural and synthetic. The design and manufacture of these terra cotta assemblies were opportunities to reconsider the role of ornament in both socio-cultural and environmental “performance.” 

The studio partnered with the UB SMART Factory, Boston Valley, and the Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop 2019 as they explored the craft and industry of architectural terracotta. Their research focused on ceramic material systems that combined both traditional and digital manufacturing technologies, and bioclimatic design speculation.

Chiffy and Volungus’ assembly Bio |Sphere combines the principles of evaporative coolers and the Venturi effect in a proposal to provide adequate cooling to eliminate the need for conventional air conditioners and the negative impacts they have on the environment.

Indentations on the spherical lobes of the back-to-back tiles hold water to provide evaporative cooling as air flows through the facade. 

Sitting back to back, the tiles create full spheres. The gradation in the size and separation of the spheres, from small on the outside to large on the inside, compresses the air as it is pulled through the façade, utilizing the Venturi effect.

The tiled facade would be pulled away from the window facade to allow the air to pass through. The ideal building utilizing this system would have windows on opposite facades to allow for cross ventilation, maximizing air circulation

Fields and Svisco explored how to restore the habitat of solitary bees. Solitary bees comprise 90% of the bee population and pollinate 70% of the food we eat.

This system provides solitary bees with nesting sites, food sources, and shelter through the design of three different types of tile designs. Nesting tiles have a series of holes, ranging from 3/32” to 1/2” in diameter and 3” to 6” in-depth, which correlate with differently sized types of bees. These holes provide space for the bees to store pollen and nectar and shelter for their eggs and growing larvae. 

The planter tiles provide the bees with food sources and pollen. Various pollinator plants, such as Lanceleaf Coreopsis and Butterfly Milkweed, are planted in different planter tiles. The nesting tiles and planter tiles are systematically arranged based on nesting radii. A surface tile was developed to act as a connection between the two.

A UV-reflective ceramics glaze, which is visible to humans only under blacklight, attracts bees to the facade. The patterning of this glaze on the facade is arrayed similarly to a field of wildflowers, with the glaze resembling the “bullseye” of a flower, which attracts the bees to its pollen

The form is designed to aid in a continuous flow of water from the top to the bottom of each tile with the UVreflective glaze located only on the opposite side of the water flow. This ensures that bees are never attracted to potentially harmful areas.

Trudeau and Todd investigated the integration of passive strategies, such as solar shading, solar retention, rainwater collection, and habitat. Their system adapted based on which direction the façade faced. For the south face, they created a Trombe wall by designing a layered wall system with modules suited to thermal gain. On the north face, the tiles were arranged to provide vertical shading while still allowing for daylight access.

The east and west faces addressed habitat and water retention. They developed a set of planter tiles to be interspersed between tiles designed specifically for bird habitation. Rainwater is collected in a water retention system after filtering through the planters along the façade.

Three types of bird habitation tiles were developed after an analysis of different migratory birds and their preferred habitat and nesting tendencies. Tiles were designed to accommodate shrub and tree nesters, cliff nesters, and ground nesters.

The design tailors to five specific species of birds: Purple Martins, Barn Swallows, Black-Capped Chickadees, American Robins, and House Finches. Some will occupy the tiles year-round, and others only seasonally. The birds require different nesting conditions, provided by the tile modules. The anticipated community of birds will allow for observations of bird songs and flight patterns, providing unique interspecies social conditions between birds and humans.

By creating a façade system that doubles as a habitat, Trudeau and Todd connect urban life to nature. Bringing these different ecosystems together allows for observation and educational opportunities.