IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability

29/11/2016. [GUIMARÃES] Portugal
metalocus, LAURA CENTELLAS

First Prize winner of the competition to build the new Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability in Minho University (Portugal), the project took its inspiration form the microscopical image of titanium nanotubes.

IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho. Photograph © João Morgado

IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho. Photograph © João Morgado.

Site plan. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Basement floor plan. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Main Floor plan. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

First floor plan. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Second floor plan. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Third floor plan. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Roof plan. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Longitudinal section. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Cross section. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

Elevation. IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability by Cláudio Vilarinho.

The project for the new Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability at the University of Minho, work of the architect Cláudio Vilarinho, represents an exercise of active search and support for the development of new sustainable materials and technologies for the future of humanity. Inspired by the studies being carried out in the university framework regarding the efficiency of solar energy, where titanium nanotubes begin to give relevant results, the facade of the building homages this discovery, with a peculiar lattice of which the constructive system is another Issue to take into account, as the practice explains in the description bellow.

Description of the project by Cláudio Vilarinho

We propose a building with a unique image for the campus. A building that breaks the existing gray monotony – referring not only about the pictorial issue of the Campus, but also about the “global crisis without end” – and that, at the same time, is able to captivate.
''The solar cell technology has not changed much over the times, however, silicon solar cells prevail'', says Dr. Craig Grimes, professor of Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Design at the Pennsylvania State University. “You spend a lot of energy, 5 gigajoules per square meter to produce silicon solar cells. It can be argued, first, that these cells never fully recover the energy used to produce them.” The new approach is to develop light-sensitive pigments that have been made using nanoparticles and various pigments. Researchers are studying titanium nanotubes to replace the layers of sensible pigment particles in the solar cells, and their initial effort produced about 3 percent of solar energy converted into electricity. The inability of researchers to grow longer titanium nanotubes reduced the proportion of solar conversion.

The search for future technology themes, was the genesis of the selected image for the building. The facade skin, happened through an architectural reinterpretation, it retracts the symbolic power of the ERI purpose. We used as reference the titanium nanotubes. Associated with recent discoveries, the titanium nanotubes have, among others, capacities for reuse and cheap production, becoming, this way, an inspiration for an architecture that seeks sustainability as an ideal. Nowadays, at the offices of UM (Minho University), researching processes are occurring in what concerns to materials development, one possible example is what’s happening in the civil engineering laboratory. In order to develop common synergies, we propose the skin of the building in prefabricated elements of a cementitious matrix material. This material reinforced with micro-fibers, has no conventional reinforcement, which could cause corrosion problems, among other features, is a very ductile material, plastic, fluid, self-compatible and allows to control the crack and therefore doesn’t crack. This skin allows the inclusion of pigmentation/oxides doesn’t need constant maintenance and lasts longer than common materials. To finish, it also allows a wide range of the architectural freedom.

More information

Architect

Cláudio Vilarinho

Venue

Minho University, Azurém Campus. Guimarães, Portugal

Dates

2010-2015

Client

Minho University

Collaborators

Carine Pimenta, Catarina Campos, João Pereira de Sousa, Pedro Resende

Engineering

Isabel Teles (structure), João Cunha (waters), António Pelaez (termic/energy), Susana Sousa (acoustic), Fernando Ferreira (electricity), Carlos Mirra (security plan).

CLÁUDIO VILARINHO

Cláudio Vilarinho was born in Guimarães, Portugal, in the year of 1977. Since 1999 and as a student, he began to collaborate with several architecture studios. In 2002, he finished the Architecture Degree by the “Universidade do Minho” and has been awarded every year for his best academic results. In 2001, working as a co-author, he won the 1st Prize at the “11º Concurso Ibérico Pladur, Unidad Habitacional para Intervenciones de Urgencia”. He was also awarded with a Socrates-Erasmus scholarship for studying at the “École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne”, Switzerland. Once again he was awarded a scholarship to study at “Universidad Politécnica de Madrid – ETSAM”, in Spain, where he concluded in 2007 the Master‘s Degree in Collective Housing.

In 2003, also as a co-author with the 1st Prize on “Europan 7 – Vila do Conde, Portugal." In 2005 he sets as an autonomous professional. This studio, has received several distinctions, including: the Mobility Award 2007 (awarded for the design of a collective housing building for the elderly); the 1st prize in the Uniscala ’09 competition; the 1st prize in the Exhibition space competition for the Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2010 and the 1st prize in the Engineering Research Institute competition, for the Universtity of Minho at the Campus of Azurém, Guimarães, Portugal.

Since 2008, Cláudio Vilarinho has been invited to be part of academic activities. As additional highlights, there is the fact that in 2007 Newitalianblood.com has selected the studio for the TOP 10 portuguese emergent architects; likewise, representing Portugal, the studio has been one of the 30 internationally selected for the 2010 Wallpaper* Architects Directory.

In July 2010, following the invitation from the italian publishers Casa editrice Libria, the studio had its first monograph,PRIMI PROGETTI CLÁUDIO VILARINHO. Finally, since 2011, the studio launched his online diary, called Cláudio Vilarinho Daily – With love for Architecture.

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IBS - Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability

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