via Nanyang Technological University

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have developed a bendable variety of concrete called ConFlexPave, which in addition to its increased flexibility, is both stronger and more durable than traditional concrete. Working at the NTU-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation Centre (I³C), the team created the material by introducing polymer microfibers into the concrete mixture.

The innovation also allows for the production of slim precast pavement slabs, increasing installation speed. It is anticipated to be used in infrastructural projects, halving the amount of time needed for road works and new pavements while also requiring less maintenance.

NTU Professor Chu Jian, Interim Co-Director of the NTU-JTC I³C, comments, “We developed a new type of concrete that can greatly reduce the thickness and weight of precast pavement slabs, hence enabling speedy plug-and-play installation, where new concrete slabs prepared off-site can easily replace worn out ones.”

Standard concrete consists of a cured mixture of cement, water, gravel and sand, which produces a strong, yet brittle product that is prone to cracking. The addition of synthetic fibers into ConFlexPave remedies this issue by allowing the concrete to flex and bend under tension. The resulting product also has demonstrated an enhanced skid resistance.

According to Assistant Prof Yang En-Hua from NTU’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, leader of this research at the NTU-JTC I³C, the key breakthrough was found by studying how the material components interacted with one another on a microscopic level.

“With detailed understanding, we can then deliberately select ingredients and engineer the tailoring of components, so our final material can fulfill specific requirements needed for road and pavement applications,” explained Prof Yang.

“The hard materials give a non-slip surface texture while the microfibres which are thinner than the width of a human hair, distribute the load across the whole slab, resulting in a concrete that is tough as metal and at least twice as strong as conventional concrete under bending,” he added.

Currently, tablet-sized samples of the material have been successfully tested at NTU laboratories. Over the next three years, the material will be scaled up for further testing in areas exposed to human and vehicular traffic.

News via Nanyang Technical University.

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© Andres Garcia Lachner

• Architects: Benjamin Garcia Saxe
• Location: Santa Teresa Beach, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
• Design Team: Cesar Coto, Rogelio Quesada, Alejandro Gonzalez, Maribel Mora
• Area: 300.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Andres Garcia Lachner

• General Design: Benjamin Garcia Saxe
• Coordinator: Laura Morelli
• Structuctural Engineering: Sotela Alfaro Ltd
• Electromechanical Engineering: Electrotec S.A
• Constructor: Dante Medri y Adrian Alvarado

© Andres Garcia Lachner

From the architect. The Holdener family bought a beautiful property with two breath-taking views: towards the ocean and into the jungle. We decided to rest the house against the back of the steep hill of the site in order to stabilize the soil and protect the house from falling debris.

© Andres Garcia Lachner

Section

© Andres Garcia Lachner

The house then transitions from a more solid and intimate construction at the back that holds bedrooms and bathrooms, towards a light-weight and ephemeral structure that points to the visual collapse of the ocean and jungle views.

1st Floor Plan

2nd Floor Plan

The result is a series of interwoven terraces that relate to each other in all dimensions creating not only an internal dynamic interaction between levels, but also varied and sometimes unexpected relationships between the inhabitants and the natural landscape. In these interstitial terrace spaces, which are never truly inside or out, architecture comes to foster the relationship, enjoyment, and appreciation of the natural world by the inhabitants. 

© Andres Garcia Lachner

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© Iwan Baan

• Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
• Location: 104 Haven Ave, New York, NY 10032, United States
• Executive Architect: Gensler
• Area: 110000.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Iwan Baan, Nic Lehoux

• Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Elizabeth Diller (Partner-in-Charge); Ricardo Scofidio AIA, Charles Renfro AIA, Benjamin Gilmartin AIA (Principal Designers); Anthony Saby (Project Director) Chris Hillyard, AIA (Project Architect); Chris Andreacola AIA, David Chacon AIA, Christopher Kupski AIA LEED AP, Barak Pliskin AIA LEED AP, Kevin Rice AIA, Gerard Sullivan AIA, Mary Broaddus, Charles Curran,Robert Donnelly, Amber Foo, Yoon-Young Hur, Joshua Jow, Andreas Kostopoulos, Joseph Dart Messick, Patrick Ngo, Matt Ostrow, Stefano Paiocchi, Jesse Saylor, Jack Solomon, Hallie Terzopolos, Elizabeth Wisecarver (Design Team)
• Gensler: Madeline Burke-Vigeland AIA, LEED AP(Principal-in-Charge); Kristian Gregerson AIA (Project Manager); Ambrose Aliaga-Kelly AIA (Technical Director); Joanne Fernando AIA, Jinho Kim AIA, Michelle Neary AIA, Bill DuBois, Ana Espejo, Mariano Ortiz, Henry Hong RA, Scott Wilson AIA (Design Team)
• Structural Engineer: Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA)
• Mep Engineer: Jaros Baum & Bolles (JB&B)
• Landscape Architect: SCAPE/Landscape Architecture
• Curtain Wall Consultants: Buro Happold Consulting Engineers P.C.
• Lighting Consultants: Tillotson Design Associates
• Acoustic / Audio / Visual Consultants: Cerami & Associates, Inc.
• Building Code Consultants: Milrose Consultants, Inc.
• Elevator Consultants: Jenkins & Huntington, Inc. (JHI)
• Graphic Designers: 2×4 and Gensler
• Civil / Geotechnical Engineers: Thornton Tomasetti, Weidlinger Transportation Practice
• Security And It Consultants: Jaros Baum & Bolles (JB&B)
• Sustainability Consultants: Vidaris Inc.
• Foodservice Consultants: Cini-Little International, Inc.
• Construction Managers: FJ Sciame Construction Co., Inc.
• Owners Representative: Group PMX

© Nic Lehoux

From the architect. Columbia University Medical Center’s new, state-of-the-art medical and graduate education building, the Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center, will open to faculty and students on August 15, 2016 for the start of the fall term. Designed by the New York-based interdisciplinary design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in collaboration with Gensler as executive architect, the Vagelos Education Center is a 100,000-square-foot, 14-story glass tower that incorporates technologically advanced classrooms, collaboration spaces, and a modern simulation center to reflect how medicine is taught, learned, and practiced in the 21st century. The design seeks to reshape the look and feel of the Medical Center campus, and also create spaces that facilitate the development of skills essential for modern medical practice. 

© Iwan Baan

The building is named in recognition of the generosity of an initial lead gift from P. Roy Vagelos, MD, a distinguished alumnus of Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, and his wife, Diana Vagelos, an alumna of Barnard College and the Vice Chair of the Trustees of Barnard College. The Vagelos Education Center was funded through the generosity of many committed friends, faculty and alumni donors. Construction began in September 2013. 

© Iwan Baan

In addition to the new Vagelos Education Center, initiatives to revitalize the campus include increasing green space, creating a new gateway to the medical school, consolidating student services, renovating several existing buildings, and constructing new spaces, including the new home for the Columbia School of Nursing. The Vagelos Education Center will help define the northern edge of the campus and provide a bridge to the surrounding Washington Heights community. 

© Iwan Baan

“Our new education building will ensure that Columbia continues to train superior doctors and researchers, educated in the latest techniques, as medicine continues to evolve rapidly throughout the 21st century,” said Lee Goldman, MD, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine at Columbia University. “The building also will allow us to centralize key activities in a state-of-the-art facility that reflects our commitment to providing world-class instruction and a superb learning environment for students.” 

© Iwan Baan

About the Design

The Vagelos Education Center is a 14-story glass, concrete, and steel structure anchored by a network of social and study spaces distributed along an exposed, interconnected vertical staircase that extends the height of the building—known as the “Study Cascade”—and encompasses 100,000 square feet of advanced medical and scientific facilities. The alcove interiors of the Study Cascade, designed to be conducive to collaborative, team-based learning and teaching, open onto south-facing outdoor spaces and terraces. Other key elements of the design include:

• Ground floor lobby and café, which adjoin a “study bar” with views of the Palisades.

• Student Commons, which features a café, computer work area and computer labs.

• Advanced clinical simulation center, a specialized space for mock examination rooms, clinics and operating rooms.

• Multi-purpose auditorium, a 275-seat flexible space used for campus-wide events such as lectures, screenings and concerts.

• “Academic Neighborhoods,” groups of classrooms that can be configured according to need by operable partitions, drop down screens and large-scale multi-user touch screens, suspended ceilings, and distributed power and data at the floor.

• South and West Courts, outdoor spaces featuring local plant species.

• Anatomy Quad, a flexible learning space with integrated screens and task lighting.

© Iwan Baan

Diagram

© Nic Lehoux

“Space matters for structured and informal learning,” said Elizabeth Diller, founding partner at Diller Scofidio + Renfro. “To support Columbia’s progressive medical education program, we designed a building that will nurture collaboration. Its defining feature is the Study Cascade–a 14-story network of vertically linked spaces in a variety of sizes, both focused and social, private and communal, indoors and out.”

© Nic Lehoux

“The Vagelos Education Center started with a clear vision as a place of excellence for higher learning that would also act as a much needed social center,” said Maddy Burke-Vigeland AIA, Principal at Gensler. “Because of everyone’s deep involvement, it has transformed into something that exceeds even those high expectations: a vibrant new hub for Columbia’s Medical Center campus.”

Diagram

DS+R’s design takes advantage of an incredible view of the Hudson River and the Palisades. The building also integrates a range of sustainable features—including locally sourced materials, green roof technologies, and an innovative mechanical system that minimizes energy and water use—and the façade features ceramic “frit” patterns that are baked onto the exterior glass to diffuse sunlight. All new construction and renovation projects—including the Vagelos Education Center—work toward the goal of minimizing CUMC’s carbon footprint and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025. 

© Nic Lehoux

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© Haruo Mikami

This article is part of our new “Material Focus” series, which asks architects to elaborate on the thought process behind their material choices and sheds light on the steps required to get a building constructed.

The House in Lago Sur Qi 25 was designed by  Sérgio Parada Arquitetos Associados firm. The project is 800 square meters and the layout is organized into 3 floors. Their volumes were defined by their use: intimate, service, formal and leisure. The project’s structure is completely made up of reinforced concrete with large openings that allow for complete integration of the exterior with the interior. We talked with the architect Rodrigo Biavati to learn more about the material choices and challenges of the project.

© Haruo Mikami

What were the main materials used in the project?

For the frame: steel and concrete; for the façade: brick masonry and glass; the flooring: wood and fulget; Masonry finishings: painting on rustic plaster and glass mosaics; Brises: metallic “skin” on microperforated plates made from pre-painted aluminum.

© Haruo Mikami

In terms of materials, which were the greatest sources of inspiration and influence when making your final decisions?

When constructing our projects we always try to get the most out of each material that we’re going to use. Starting with defining the frame we plan according to the architectural environment and its technical and financial viability, down to the choice of coating materials that are best suited for the suggestions of the architects.

© Haruo Mikami

Describe how the decisions on materials influenced the design concept.

In the volumetric composition of the residence, all the rooms are connected to a social living area. This area, acting as the heart of the building, has double height ceilings and a glass exterior. To protect this part from the sun, we inserted a metal microperforated ”skin”, at the end of the covering, to filter the sunlight and at the same time be able to enhance the vision of people inside and block the view from the outside. That same part, the microperforated metal “skin”, was used creating a vertical movement in which residents could pass unseen and see what was happening in front of the house.

© Haruo Mikami

What were the advantages that these materials offered when constructing the project?

In the case of the House in Lago Sur Qi 25, four materials were part of the architectural design of the residence. The concrete in the frame, the panes of glass, the solar protective micro-perforated metal “skin” and continuous flooring.

We used a structural system of ribbed concrete slabs, which made the work go faster and allowed for greater openings with lower structure height. That way the space between the inside slabs were kept free of beams and facilitated movement in the building.

Since the property has a great view, the house has a large glazed glass opening system. This system allowed for the double height glass façade and seals around the windows and doors.

The micro-perforated metal “skin” was essential for sun protection for the large glass openings. 

Since  the house is located on the ground level, the use of a solid surface to maintain the integration across the exterior was important. We used fulget as it is a non-slip coating that works very well in this situation, coating the floors, ramps, and stairs. The social and intimate interior spaces use planks of Brazilian teak to ensure the continuity between environments. 

© C.B. Aragão

Did the choices of materials caused any kind of challenges for the project?

The use of metal microperforated “skin” forced us to accurately detail the steel support framework, resulting in a harmonious set of vertical brise.

© Haruo Mikami

Did you ever consider other possibilities for materials for the project? If so, how would that have changed the project?

In the case of the House in Lago Sur Qi 25, the architectural team had already prepared the design with these materials in mind. The choices were built into the ideas.

© Haruo Mikami

How did you research suppliers and builders suitable for materials used in the project?

Representatives of the companies in the construction industry always keep us updated with their products and materials. We are always searching for new technologies to improve and facilitate our projects on the internet and in magazines.

Residência Lago Sul Qi 25 / Sérgio Parada Arquitetos Associados
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