Aquiles Eco Hotel by Ramos Castellano Arquitectos

The Aquiles Eco Hotel is an example of prefabricated flexibility in architecture. The bare concrete structure supports wooden prefabricated modules that are inserted onto the concrete floor slabs. If the use of the building changes or they must be renewed, the modules can be disassembled, moved, recycled etc. They are made of a wooden skeleton and wooden panels placed on all sides, connected with nails which makes the assembly easy and low cost.

Project Source: archdaily.com

House of 40 Knots

House of 40 Knots by architectects Habibeh Madjdabadi and Alireza Mashhadimirza

This façade brick system joins the traditional use of bricks in Iranian architecture with a modern aesthetic. Specially fabricated bricks with two holes are "knit" onto steel tubes to form patterns. The vertical steel bars are connected to a steel L profile which is anchored directly to the steel structure of the façade. This simple system allows infinite patterns to respond to different needs of lighting and privacy.

Project source: Archdaily

IKEA flat pack shelter

Ikea developed a flat pack shelter for disaster relief housing. Unlike ordinary tents, the shelter provides better climatic comfort due to the material used on the roof - it reflects excess sunlight in the day but releases accumulated heat into the interior in the night time. Solar panels are incorporated into the roof material to provide electricity for basic lighting at night. Ikea's signature easy assembly and a flat package are of course present in the design. The structure is composed of metal frames (tubes) laterally reinforced by tensed cables. The assembly process only takes a few hours and only requires the work of two people. The materials used for this system are metal and plastic, but the plastic is designed to last at least 3 years and was chosen for its light weight and high insulation properties. The joints in the assembly process are simple - using metal fasteners and plastic ties which does not require any other tools than those provided in the package.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF ASSEMBLY PROCESS

Bubble-Building by 3GATTI

The Bubble-Building is proposal to wrap an existing building with an antibacterial nylon facade which would transform the building into a greenhouse, improving its interior climate through air and light filtering. Also, wrap around facade gives a new image to an existing building and is a way to improve the inadequate climatic control of the original design without too much costs. A barrier of vegetation inside the facade is a way of 'oxygenating' the incoming air, while the air cushion acts as extra insulation. An important aspect of this system is its responsiveness to climatic needs, so when insulation is not needed, the cushions will deflate. The question that remains unclear is whether the obstruction of traditional windows is really a good choice...

Allianz Arena by Herzog & deMeuron

The skin of the stadium is made of 2,874 ETFE cushions fixed in aluminium profiles. Twelve air pumping stations maintain the internal pressure of the cushions constant, which alters if there are increased wind or snow loads on the facade. The structure of the facade is a steel rhomboid grid whose diagonals length vary from 2 to 17 meters. The gaps between the cushions is sealed with a plastic profile. The transparency of the ETFE fabric varies depending on the light requirements and at night it is illuminated in different colors depending on which home team is playing at that moment. A total of 65,000 m2 of ETFE fabric was needed to complete this project.