A nearly zero energy building has been developed at Gui’an Innovation Park in China’s Guizhou Province by design studio SUP Atelier which takes its inspiration from local culture and traditional industrial methods.
The Studio, which will host events and perfomances, is both a practical demonstration which integrates sustainable design strategies with ecological technologies and an experimental platform for eco-friendly architecture.
It examines whether the detailed design methods and building technologies can be tailored to local conditions and economic necessities.
Timber frameworks are employed in the large-space exhibition hall, while the prefab light-steel modules are used to shape functional space at both sides.
All these structural components and joints are produced off-site and swiftly assembled on site, leading to a significant saving of time and energy.
Sustainable service systems – air through tunnel, biomass heating, rainwater collecting, – are mostly plugged into the cavity of façades, which saves installation time, increase indoor flexibility and provide potential space for additional equipment in future experiments.
The modular double-skin façade system is a unique integration of vernacular rattan-weaving craftsmanship with industrial prefabrication technology, highly expressing site-specific characteristics.
The passive design methods responding to local climatic factors of natural wind, solar radiation and daylight are further contrived by the design team.
The building encourages usage of renewable materials such as timber, steel and wheat-straw board and promotes the employment of vernacular materials and craftsmanship such as traditional rattan-weaving, blue-stone floor pavage and rubble wall masonry, which can decrease the carbon footprint during the building’s life span.