Students and specialists from the universities of Singapore, Pretoria and Navarra visit Ruiz-Larrea's Solar Hemicycle
A la master class given by César Ruiz-Larrea at the UNAV campus in Madrid was followed by a visit to the building, the first public residential building in the region to be equipped with aerothermal energy.
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Madrid, 20/02/2023.- Forty architecture students from the National University of Singapore and the University of Navarra, in addition to specialists from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), have visited the Hemiciclo Solar designed by Ruiz-Larrea Arquitectura (RL) at an international exchange day on sustainable building, bioclimatism and transformation of cities organized by the University of Navarra (UNAV).
César Ruiz-LarreaRL's president and UNAV collaborator, guided the group through the technical details of the design, the bioclimatic solutions and the innovative systems that made this public housing building the first in the region to use aerothermal energy to guarantee comfort and drastically reduce the energy bill of its tenants.
Previamente, el arquitecto impartió una master class en la que también tomaron parte Chrisna Du PlessisDirector of the Department of Architecture at the University of Pretoria and Chair of its School of the Built Environment; Professor and researcher at the National University of Singapore, Nirmal Kishnanispecialist in sustainable design and innovative construction systems; and Ana Sánchez-OstizDirector of the Master in Environmental Design and Building Management at UNAV and member of the SAVIA research group on sustainability, housing and industrialization.
URBAN PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY
During the visit, the participants exchanged ideas on sustainability solutions and the transformation of the urban environment. The interest in the Solar Hemicycle stems precisely from its public ownership and its special arc-shaped configuration. This, as Ruiz-Larrea explained, is in response to "a bioclimatic design that avoids self-arranging shadows, follows the solar cycle and takes advantage of natural light and wind conditions to greatly reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions.".
This "sustainable urbanism", in the architect's words, would not have been possible without the reconfiguration of the project originally proposed by the Móstoles City Council, the town where the building is located and whose governors understood that a disruptive proposal such as this would make a difference in terms of comfort and emissions reduction.
The Solar Hemicycle, built in 2011 for the Municipal Land Institute of Móstoles, is a pioneering construction. It is the first public housing building in the Community of Madrid to make use of solar energy. aerotermia to regulate the indoor temperature by means of collectors located at the rear of the building.
Its arched layout, away from the original L-shape, guarantees 100% of viviendas pasantesBy its design, the Solar Hemicycle follows the sun. The envelope is conceived as a large solar collector during the winter and an immense umbraculum in summer. The constructive solution of the envelope allows for flexible layouts, different levels of openness or concealment.
In urban terms, the volume closes off the area in which it is located and contributes to the creation of a large public square, thus maintaining the urban logic. The building itself becomes agente generador de relaciones de vecindadThe three large openings in the façade make up the espacios públicos de encuentro for the residents, who have been able to enjoy exhibitions, talks or spontaneous meetings.
As a public development building, the Hemicycle does not renounce neither the welfare of its inhabitants nor their comfort, proposing, in front of its location, a garden area with fountains to alleviate some of the harshness of the square immediately in front of it.
RUIZ-LARREA, PATRIMONIO E INNOVACIÓN
is a leading company in architectural innovation and sustainability, internationally recognized for its new construction, rehabilitation and asset transformation projects. It is a pioneer in the development and application of new sustainable and industrialized building systems, radical reduction of energy demand and healthy and responsible architecture. laboratorio de innovación R_lab.
Ruiz-Larrea has signed works such as the current headquarters of Movistar+, the National Center for Renewable Energies, the Andalusian Energy Agency, the Cibeles Tower of the Bank of Spain, the luxury hotel The Madrid EDITION, the reform of the Palace Hotel in Madrid (in progress), the corporate and logistics headquarters of Vueling or the new headquarters of the pharmaceutical company Sanofi in Barcelona. In addition, Ruiz-Larrea has developed numerous new construction, build-to-rent and affordable housing projects, such as the Manubuild industrialized project, the Madrid 0'0 residential complex (nZEB, BREEAM), the Adelfas 98 residential complex (BREEAM) or Carabanchel 34 (Passivhaus). build to rent, viviendas asequibles, como el proyecto industrializado Manubuild, el proyecto residencial Madrid 0'0 (nZEB, BREEAM), el proyecto residencial Adelfas 98 (BREEAM) o Carabanchel 34 (Passivhaus).
More information, interviews or images:
Ángel Calleja, director de Comunicación y Relaciones Institucionales
a.calleja@ruizlarrea.com / +34 671 150 20