Duration: 8 weeks, 2 units/week = 16 units
Cost: 1500 euro
Dates: the weeks of December 13th to February 10th
Module Introduction
Given the fast pace of climate change, the degradation of the ecosystem, and the impacts on human health, planners and architects are in charge of developing regenerative cities and buildings that will reverse such processes. This lofty goal implies a change of paradigm: creative environmental design strategies are fostered by science, and holistic performance data simulation is central to the process.
The units of this Environmental Design course cover topics such as climate change, design for the ecosystem, planning mitigated local microclimate, rethinking nature-based solutions, designing bio climatically attuned buildings, decarbonizing the built while generating comfort (thermal and daylight), health, and wellbeing. Each of the units encompasses theory, examples, tutorials on design performance simulations, and an exercise of application.
The regenerative approach will be computationally experienced by leveraging the parametric design possibilities offered by the Grasshopper’s plugin LadybugTools. The latter will be handled to drive the exploration of non-conventional programs, forms, materials choices routed on equations defining the climatic and the human-physiological project boundaries.
The online program is conceived in collaboration with the MCA office team, and a series of outstanding international practitioners and researchers. During the course, participants will be acquiring the theoretical and practical knowledge key to an agile deployment in their works. By course completion, they will be able to design cutting-edge strategies becoming agents of regenerative change.
Module Focus
The module, accounting for foremost international experts and the MCA team, fully prepares to the highest standard of sustainable design for a changing climate by the use of Grasshopper based workflows.
The module is conceived in collaboration with a series of outstanding international experts, and the MCA team. Participants will be acquiring state of the art on theoretical, practical and digital parametric knowledge enabling the design of climate change responsive districts and buildings. Specific foci are microclimates creation, interlink with natural systems, energy-positive buildings, and thermally and visually comfortable indoor spaces.
The Structure
- 1. Regenerative Design and Climate Bases
- 2. Architecture of Climate Change
- 3. Urban Microclimatic Design
- 4. Nature Based Solutions
- 5. Rethinking Bioclimatic Design
- 6. Envelope as a Climate and Light Giver
- 7. Natuaral Ventialtion and indoor comfort
- 8. Integrated Design
Module Leader Bio:
Dr Emanuele Naboni is Associate Professor at the University of Parma and Lecturer at the Master of Architecture in Extreme Environments at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, School of Architecture (KADK). He practices, teaches, researches and publishes in the field of Regenerative Environmental Design, and Design for Climate Change, at different scales: Urban, Buildings and Construction. He has a focus on linking Ecosystems and Humans via Digital Design.
Emanuele was invited professor at ETH Future Cities Lab in Singapore (2019), EPFL Lausanne (2016-17), Southeast University in Nanjing (2018), Architectural Association in London (2014), University of California Berkeley (2013). He has been an invited lecturer at TU Delft, TU Munich, UC Berkeley, Aalto University, National University of Singapore, The University of Nottingham, Arup World Research and is External Reviewer at EPFL, the Bartlett and IAAC.
Emanuele was design leader at the “Performance Design Studio” of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) in San Francisco for a number of years (2006-2010) and a Researcher for the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, at the University of California, Berkeley (LBNL) (2005-2012). He has been collaborating on project bases with BIG, Arup, Kengo Kuma, William MC Donough, Autodesk. He won several international design competitions and prizes for sustainable design teaching. He has published more than 80 scientific publications and monographs with Taylor and Francis, Riba and Details.