The Radicant Machine: a thermodynamic architecture proposed for Barcelona’s historically industrial Sant Adrià de Besòs neighborhood. Designed to subvert the conventional practice of mitigating environmental variations with respect to time and orientation, the structure instead intentionally augments naturally occurring climatic disparities, thus generating extreme differentials in temperature, humidity and air pressure. By harnessing the full force of the coastal mediterranean sun and wind as potential energy, circulatory flows are passively powered which condition and ventilate the interior volume.
Site-Specific Solar Vectors Generated Using Ladybug
Site-Specific Wind Roses Generated Using Climate Consultant
Site-Specific Psychrometric Charts Generated Using Climate Consultant
Industrial Case Study Optimized for Solar Radiation
Regional Vernacular Case Studies Optimized for Wind
Mechanical Case Study Optimized for Dehumidification
Morphological Iterations Evaluated For Climatic Performance Using Ladybug + Autodesk Flow
Morphological Sequence Evaluated for Solar Radiation Using Ladybug
Morphological Sequence Evaluated for Wind Velocity & Pressure Using Autodesk Flow
Morphological Sequence Evaluated for Thermal Sources & Sinks
Final Conceptual Massing Evaluated for Solar Radiation, Wind Velocty & Wind Pressure Using Ladybug + Autodesk Flow
Preliminary Architectural Prototype
Preliminary Architectural Prototype Rationalized into Final Form
Final Form for Solar Radiation Using Ladybug
Final Form Evaluated for Wind Velocity & Pressure Using Autodesk Flow
Thermodynamic Performance During Summer Day
Thermodynamic Performance During Summer Night
Thermodynamic Performance During Winter Day
Thermodynamic Performance During Winter Night
Building Plan
Building Section
Hydrophobic & Hydrophilic Materiality Research Regarding Humidity Extraction
Net Materiality Research Regarding Humidity Extraction
Conceptual Materiality Proposal
Exterior Rendering
Interior Rendering 1
Interior Rendering 2
Process & Final Physical Models
Final Physical Model
The Radicant Machine is a project of IaaC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed at the Master of Advanced Ecological Buildings in 2018 by:
Students: Nour El Kamali, Pablo Corrotto Pradillo & Michael Salka
Faculty: Javier García-Germán
