The Seville Sustainable Hub

The Details

The Site

C243+X89 or 37.4074525, -5.9966016

The Site is on the Isla de la Cartuja, directly located on the Guadalquivir river banks, adjacent to a theater, and to a huge water themed park. It is also near/on the huge site of the Seville World expo 92 ground, the exhibition that featured groundbreaking building technologies back in the early 90’s. Among the most characteristic interventions were the tall funnels at Avenue of Europe. Funnels that were said to reduce temperature by more than a few degrees and add humidity to make the scorching Seville summer heat more comfortable for the public in the outdoors.

The Sustainable Edge

The proposals of this open idea competition should fit within the various terms of Green, sustainable, low energy, zero energy or near zero energy buildings, bio-climatic Project. The definition of sustainability according to this particular competition and to Dar[e] in general is a project that would provide users comfort, while using minimal energy from non-renewable sources, and having minimum impact on the environment. The following bullet points provide a clearer idea as well as what should be considered of high importance (+++) and what should be considered as basic importance (+)

Material choice in term of Embedded energy (+)
Passive design strategies (+++):
- Solar geometry in terms of orientation, windows and shading devices for thermal comfort and internal natural lighting Natural and or forced ventilation to reduce overheating
- Material choice to enhance thermal performance
Impact on the environment (+):
- Having minimal impact on the natural environment in terms of preserving and or enhancing natural habitats, as well as reducing and managing the produced wastes to the minimum, and smart harvesting, when possible, of natural resources
Integrating of active system (+).

The competition is still about sustainable architecture, and thus the architecture proper in terms of concept, layout and circulation, volumes and spatial qualities are of course expected to be outstanding.

No energy calculation, nor energy or solar simulations are required nor expected. Yet entrants should be able to prove and show that the project is providing the required comfort through day and night explanatory sketches, as well as summer and winter sketches. The weather data to be used is provided by the competition organizers.

The Program

Three main functions collide in this near future project:

The Art Hub: A local artist hub and accelerator that houses young artisans and artists and offers them both temporary housing, workshops, work equipment, and exhibition space.

Quality experience: An open to public entertainment, exhibition space, restaurant, art sales space. a land and river connection to the city

Charging Station: An Electric charging station for vehicles of tourists and locals alike passing through the city or visiting the nearby functions, (theatre, park, etc…)

The Art Hub: The proposal is to have one place that houses young artists and artisans for a specific period of time, and allows them to produce art and artifacts, exhibit them and sell them. At the same time the center is open to the public to visit the exhibits, as well as visiting the artisans and artists producing their art. Similarly, regular workshops open to the general public or targeted artists can take place in the center.

Teams are encouraged to check out two interesting projects in Seville that have some aspects of what is being proposed, and worth checking up:

(1) Mercado el Postigo, Lonja de Artesania El Postigo, C. Arfe 41001, Sevilla Spain

Local handicrafts, including jewelry, pottery & fashion accessories in an airy courtyard building.

(2) Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo, C. Americo Vespucio, 2, 41092 Sevilla Spain Historical monastery-turned-museum featuring contemporary artwork, plus workshops and concerts.

Quality Experience: A flexible and open proposition is needed from the entrants to offer an interesting experience whether staying on the premises and visiting the different functions, connecting to the city through the public network of buses and taxis, or even taking the boat trip in the nearby River (Guadalquivir) to the city center…

Charging Station: The proposal should allow a state of the art parking for around 200 charging stations for electric vehicles. During the charging time, drivers would have the option to visit the art hub, the nearby theatre, the theme park or even head to Old seville by boat or any other transportation means of their choice.

Entrants will make their own detailed program, based on the proposed given herein. The overall built-up area should not be less than 4000sqm and not more than 5000sqm all volumes fitting within a 20m maximum height.

Deliverables

Two A1 sheets + 1 A3 Sheet (All digital)

Plans; sections; diagrams; to explain the building and connection to its surrounding.
A minimum of 2 High-quality 3d renders showing the building in its surroundings – (by their nature, these renders have the potential to become the main graphic communication of the entries in publications and social media).
The clear and detailed passive/active design strategies (recommended to be shown in day/night and summer/winter sketches). One important note for the Seville Summer weather is how you would deal with the excessive heat.
A short text of not more than 300 words explaining the architecture concept. Add to that a table with the functions and their areas and the overall built up area,

Not part of the Jury process each team will submit one visual (A3) as the main image for their project to be used in various publications (social media, and others) including the winning entries on Archdaily. It is up to the entrants to decide if this image is also part of their main two sheet submission, or not.