Iowa State University
6 June – 1 July 2022
After two years of forced absence, Iowa State University continued their summer presence at ANCB with climate and environmentally conscious innovative housing projects along the Görlitzer Rail Line Park, an abandoned rail line as stimulating edge condition with exposed demising walls (Brandwände).
© Ulrike Passe
The demising walls are oriented towards Southeast, which proved beneficial for the main objectives of the summer programme to integrate environmental performance criteria and timber as a structural building material into their housing projects. The connection between performance and appearance must be strengthened in a comprehensive way. Projects revealed their essence through holistic architectural experience and performance ability. Digital tools were utilized for a calibration of the relationship of living, working and community spaces connecting the street and rail park levels. Interspersed with field trips to Hamburg’s HafenCity and Building Exhibition, the Solar Decathlon Europe in Wuppertal, Priedemann Façade Lab in Grossbeeren, Dessau and various sites in berlin, the students engaged with parametric assessment of quantitative and qualitative daylighting, shading and natural ventilation strategies.
Students used Solemma’s ClimateStudio, Ladybug and MIT’s Coolvent to develop housing projects with optimised relationship to solar geometry and solar heat gain by utilising appropriate materials and methods for four projects along the former rail line. Questions, how to live together during or after a global pandemic translated comprehensive research into images and diagrams that convey the extraordinary potential of architecture to maximise minimal spaces. Emphasis was placed on renderings and diagrams, which are able to express the dynamic nature of thresholds and boundaries. Scale drawings applied technical know-how to develop a realistic blueprint of one of the most significant elements of contemporary architecture, both experienced from the inside and from the outside.
Studio Coordinator: Ulrike Passe
