STACKED: Nearly-Zero Energy Apartment for Students

Project idea

The arrival of modern building technologies should help develop innovative building design and construction techniques and systems. As the government endeavours to digitalize the nation, developing countries such as Bangladesh are also striving to advance in this area to keep up with the rate of such innovations. Vital to the development of third-world and developing nations is the inventive and efficient utilization of resources like energy and natural elements. Any future-proof designs should incorporate this energy generation and efficient electricity utilization in mid-rise and high-rise structures as critical components.

This design resolves accommodation shortages at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) through vertical expansion while demonstrating holistic efficiency befitting the accelerating pace of global innovation. Dubbed “Energy Efficiency With Innovation,” the scheme maximizes space for the student body on the site while minimizing environmental impact. It also tackles the energy concern by emphasizing passive design strategies and utilizing renewable energy sources to produce the majority of its required energy. As a result, it is a nearly zero-energy building. In contrast to contemporary high-rise norms, this structure is mostly naturally ventilated. Efforts are taken to address additional issues, including the mitigation of sound pollution, the adequacy of hostel facilities, and the accessibility of utility services, including lavatory facilities, within walking distance. "Affordable and clean energy," "industry, innovation, and infrastructure," "sustainable communities," and "responsible consumption and production" are the sustainable development goals (SDG) that the design prioritizes as well.

Project description

Situated on the western side of Dr MA Rashid Hall, the 1695-square-meter site is easily accessible via BUET Hall Shortcut Road and Dhakeshwari Road. At this selected location, there was already a proposal to construct an additional student hostel at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) campus. In the design, access for pedestrians is provided via the Shortcut Road located to the north of the site, whereas vehicular traffic enters from the Dhakeshwari Road in the west. The Engineering University Girl's School building in the south is in very close proximity to the site boundary.
Conducting a questionnaire survey among the student body of BUET helped identify key issues during the program development of the project. The small, irregularly shaped site posed zoning constraints, limiting functional space for the target population. A site analysis and conceptual sketching were conducted to guarantee a superior resolution. Vertical gardening and an attempt to create height variations in the common areas of each floor via single-height or double-height spaces have been in development since the conceptual design phase. Additionally, ensuring adequate natural light and cross ventilation in each room unit was a primary criterion. Then, 3D modelling, and environmental simulations were performed concurrently to optimize the design.
The design emphasized the envelope or exterior of the object over its simple skeleton. Structurally, dual framing with shear walls and frames resists lateral loads. The podium’s V-columns at the double-height vehicular entry not only present construction aesthetics but also support the loads of the upper floors. The exterior walls other than the shear walls are made of AAC blocks, which cut wall loads by 60% compared to conventional masonry walls, making the common dual-frame system in such a tall building an efficient structural system. Furthermore, it substantially diminishes the level of external noise, which aids the students in maintaining their focus. Additionally, it contributes to thermal comfort and energy conservation.
The north tower of this gents’ hostel houses 680 undergraduates in rooms sharing central lavatories, while 272 postgraduate and PhD students can reside in the south tower, which has attached baths. The southwest positioning of the North Tower's core serves the dual purpose of mitigating solar heat gain on the lodging units and optimizing the building's layout in consideration of the site. The northeast section of the south tower houses the tower's core, which enables ample sunlight and a southerly breeze to the rooms. Each tower has four passenger elevators, one service elevator, one fire staircase with an air pressure system, and one typical open-air staircase in its cores. The northern fire staircase's ground-floor fire door exits outward beside the car lift in the double-height vehicle access zone. Maintenance in the basement is possible via the southern fire staircase.

Technical information

Tailored towers above the four-storey podium balance privacy and connectivity via differentiated services, circulation infrastructure, and interweaving sky bridges. The Automated Car Parking System (APS), featuring two incoming and one outgoing car lifts, minimizes parking delays, allowing pupils to optimize their time and focus on subjects of greater significance. APS also saves power as little electricity is used in the garage. The double-height pedestrian entry zone has a 1:16 height-to-length ramp for universal accessibility. The rooftop's railing wall is 1.8m high to protect maintenance personnel and others. Balcony railings are 1.3m high, with 0.6m solid wall and the rest are glass railing.
The design uses single or double-height communal spaces on each storey. This allows visual contact and generates inviting locations for socializing. The shifting of the location of cantilevered balconies creates more vertical spaces for taller plants and allows more daylight in the room. In addition to balcony vegetation, a modular panelling system with vertical vegetation beds was designed with automated sensing irrigation using a computer-controlled system. The valve inside the pipe is integrated with the drip irrigation system. The eco-friendly Corten steel frame carrying the HDPE box panels is separately remote-controlled on each floor. It pivots in one direction and can stay open at 90°, 45°, or close. Green vegetation faces the exterior when closed, giving facade zones a green appearance. This type of facade is visible on the west side of common functional spaces, like the lift lobby, double-height common spaces, sports hall, dining hall, and cafeteria. Low shrubs, groundcovers, and edible plants can be grown on these panel boxes. It lowers heat gain and insulates sound. Using facades and balconies of such design instead of glass facades may also reduce bird kills from tall buildings. The eco-gym, rooftop solar panels, and suspended solar panels on the south façade contribute to the sustainability goals and near-zero energy approach. Below each hanging solar panel are glass louvers to reduce glare in the south tower.
The structures have Monsoon-type dorm windows and Khorkhori-type communal windows. Operable shutters allow natural ventilation in the top stories when the wind keeps the window sashes closed. Shared room windows open inward.

Students are the future. Designers should prioritize student living and working environments to improve the world. To improve the world, every country should design residential buildings and dormitories with sustainable materials and minimal energy use.

Documentation

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