Jesus Avila

Architecture and Sustainable Design MArch

The objective throughout the studio was to design with the basic principles of sustainable architecture to achieve user comfort inside the building. In addition, consider the net zero carbon objectives to reduce carbon emissions produced by the construction industry as much as possible. For this, a range of factors was considered, such as daylight levels, natural ventilation, materiality, and acoustics. This year’s project was an elementary school for the sustainable community of Trent Basin.

This proposal meets one of the most important challenges of the course, achieving the rigorous requirements established by Passivhaus, without forgetting the two fundamental elements that make up the project, the students, and the community. The building minimizes its carbon footprint by having a compact form designed with SIP wooden walls. It also achieves a low energy demand thanks to its passive bioclimatic design. Additionally, several active design strategies were implemented, such as solar panels and heat pumps.