In order to bind the wide problematics posed by the general area of interest of the project, three enconpassing Topics were formulated.
New Environmental Tendencies and Demands of Growing Urban Areas
In recent decades, Latin American cities such as Santiago de Chile have been fundamentally changed by the liberalisation of the markets, the withdrawal of the state and globalisation processes. Parallel to these general developments, complex local urban realities have emerged. Their new spatial and socio-political structures both call into question established explanations for urbanisation processes and present new challenges for urban communities and the environment.
This result can be recognized within key conditions: Firstly, the increased use of resources associated to an extensive urban development strategy v/s intensive. The other is the rise of pollution loads resulting from an intense private traffic and extensive public travel time between the centre (work areas) and the periphery (increasing living areas). Pressing environmental problems are the consequence - especially in megacities like Santiago de Chile.
Building and Envelopes
Building Envelopes are a key concept in the design of buildings: As interfaces between inside spaces and outside environment, they regulate and optimize interior comfort requirements in relation to exterior conditions. They must be able themselves to adapt "intelligently" and flexibly to the various comfort needs of the users and the specific site and weather conditions.
Architecture and Construction practices however, have obliterated this critical regulating role of the building envelope, delegating it to the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems, notoriously based on energy consumption. In the "Buildings and Envelopes" Topic, the project enphasizes the envelopes in the construction of more comfortable, resource efficient buildings.
Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
The use of natural, renewable Resources in the construction and use of our built environment is a key element of sustainable urban and building strategies, usually considered beyond planning and design proper. The integration of such resources in the palette of planners and designers is to be a critical issue in the near future. The variety and richness of natural resources in Chile: forests, water, sun, suggests an interesting potential to be explored in this area of work that the project aims to develop in connection to sustainable construction. Timber, for instance, is one of the few available materials that do have very favorable properties in this respect and will play a privileged role in energy-efficient housing.
Despite the quality and easy accessibility of timber as building material in Chile, only a very small quantity (5%) of the Chilean production is being used for the local housing market. The study and promotion of wood's properties and potential as an ecological, highly energy-efficient building material will be an important part of the scientific agenda of the cooperation.
