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The Fab Academy 2014

Digital Fabrication Laboratory. Department of Architecture.

Institute of Technology. EPS-CEU San Pablo CEU University

Adolfo Gutiérrez Sánchez

Architect
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The aim of the FabLab course is to accomplish a Final Project along the course, using all the learnt concepts in the following classes.

The idea of the Final Project is to build a reactive roof of a house, that reacts when sun is more vertical to shade the covered space. and to open as much as possible when the sun is softer so the light comes in and during the coldest part of the day the space maintains heated. A retractable roof is a kinetic architectural element where the roof can be mechanichally moved with a motor system that can even be moved with solar radiation.

There are several applications of a project like this in architecture. During the past years, domotic architecture in relation with sustainability are the most powerful fields to study in architecture and construction. This new architecture appearing these days is the consequence of the bioclimatic change happening now, where the energy have to be saved as much as possible, and the houses of the future become more efficient.

The final project presentation has to develop several assignments and the complete design and constructional elements of the whole model, including the programming system and sensoring as the creation of the pieces that conform the structure, living space and the roof itself.

Retractable Roof
Reactive facadeBike chain

One of the targets of the project is not to become a very fixed element, but an element that can be developed more and more, and can be used in different situations and for any other needs::

  • Reactive facades that let the sun come in during the daylight and close during the nightlight
  • Doors that open during the coldest time of the day and stay closed during the hottest part of the day
  • Adaptation to different sun heating situations, as cold countries where the target is to get as much as heat during the day and not to loose much heat from the inside during the night time.

The resolution of the project has been thought and developed in the following phases:

  1. Design of the space to cover. As I am an architect, I want the space to be well oriented and well designed for the best heat optimization.
  2. Design of the roof. I have thought of having a roof composed of horizontal strips that can rotate from a central axis to open or shade the spce under them.
  3. Design of the mechanism that allows to rotate the strips. I have thought about a group of gears attached to each of the strips, and one chain that goes from the engine to each of the the gears of the strips, moving all the machanism at a time.
  4. Prepare the pieces that will conform the machanism of the project, including the chain, walls of the space, and strips of the roof.
  5. Prepare all the necessary programming for the project: PV sensor and engine rotate limitation.
  6. Finish building all the electronics and necessary parts to accomplish the Final Project.

IDEAS TO RESOLVE THE PROJECT

The project is intended to be resololved with as many as assignments of the FABLAB as possible. Along the weeks, I will try to adapt each of the steps to my own benefit in order to save time for the last weeks of the project resolution.

- Building Model.- the building model will be done with the CNC machine. I will try for that week to have the pieces prepared to be cut in the machine and to assembly all of them together.

- Mechanism.- the mechanism is thought to be built with the 3D printer. I want to make a chain and some gears that will connect all the louvers of my roof in series, and all of the afterwards into the engine that will move the whole mechanism.

- The Louvers.- the louvers will be done the in the week of composites. This louvers will be as light as possible so the mechanism dos not suffer a lot when they are moved. As there will be many of them, a very light structure will be much more easy to move.

- The Electronics.- the whole structure will be moved with an Arduino, and in order to have something working with it, I will do all the necessary boards along the FABLAB course for saving time in the last weeks. Some decisions will have to be made in the weeks of INPUTS, OUTPUTS and in NETWORKING AND COMMUNICATION.

Louver Louver 2

RESOLUTION OF THE PROJECT IN 3D: MOVEMENT OF THE LOUVERS

During the past weeks I have trying to develop more the project in 3D to try to measure all the pieces that i will need to build. I needed to make the project in real scale so I could control everything.

My delimitation was the design of the chain, that I will completely print in 3D and limitates my construction as I cannot print a smaller chain with the printer.

Here are some images and videos of the design and movement of the project.

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SOME IMAGES OF THE PROJECT IDEA

Here there are some images of my project idea. There is no inovation on the idea but there is in the way of building it.
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