we pay close attention
to people’s well-being,
enhancing a visual continuity
from indoor to outdoor
and working with the circadian
rhythm of natural light
tvzeb
2012
vicenza
Tvzeb is an experimental zero energy building brought to fruition by virtue of a cooperative endeavour between the traverso-vighy architecture studio and the University of Padua’s Department of Technical Physics.
Nestled in the wooded hills a few kilometers from the historic center of Vicenza, the building was conceived to prominently feature a new environmentally-sound architecture studio.
The goal of the project was to develop a low-impact building that blended seamlessly into the surrounding natural setting and exemplified the visual, renewable energy and user well-being resources of its context both in form and function.
Similarly to other architectural projects developed by the studio, the building structure was designed and manufactured in parts by a network of small industrial and craft companies, combining CNC machined and handcrafted components.
The larch glulam and galvanized steel structure is suspended along two longitudinal lines of the foundation and was dry assembled onsite: all building components are made from recyclable and/or recycled materials and can be dismantled.
This reflects the project’s firm relationship to the concept of potential reversibility and respect for the land: the building can be disassembled at the end of its life cycle and its materials can be separated and recycled, restoring the site to the natural landscape.
The materials and external finishes were conceived to simulate the surrounding environment, in an effort to quietly insinuate the studio’s presence within the landscape and to embody its transitory nature.
The main elements that guided the building’s form and tvzeb’s direction were the view towards the natural environment and the results of comprehensive simulations aimed at defining and capturing the normal seasonal variants of temperature and sunlight to enhance building performance.
The building structure extends outwards conically facing south, incorporating a design that maximizes sunlight exposure during the winter months and excludes direct radiation entirely during summer months.
Natural light is permeates the building by reflection from the internal fixtures in mill-finished aluminum and is the key element to achieving comfort for the building occupants as well as reduction in energy consumption. Daylight measures are integrated by an accurate and efficient artificial lighting system that combines light from three different sources, tracks the sun’s position, and supplements the outdoor light’s spectrum and color temperature values.
Tvzeb will be entirely powered by internal energy sources (wood combustion, solar and geothermal energies) which, as designed per the technological excellence of the project’s partner companies, will render the building completely self-sufficient, thereby fulfilling the European Directive 2010/31/EU that prescribes all new public buildings from 2020 to be zero-energy buildings.
client
traverso-vighy
design team
G. Traverso, P. Vighy
G. Dalla Gassa, E. Panza
photo credits
Alessandra Chemollo
Francesco Castagna
awards
Moscow Green Proekt Award AIST 2013_1st Prize
MEA2013 Commercial Design Award_2nd Prize
RECAM2012 per l’innovazione nella bioedilizia_1st Prize
Illumni Infinity Awards 2012 Daylighting_2nd Prize
Premio Barbara Capocchin – Giancarlo Ius gold medal 2013_Best Works
links
