Concerned about the lack of sustainable construction in the country, Paul Cremoux Studio designed a building that uses plants to moderate its own internal temperature, whilst giving residents an indoor garden.

"Making sustainable eco-effective design in Mexico is pretty hard. Many clients do not yet realise the importance of changing the design strategy," says architect Paul Cremoux.

He explains: "We would like to think about vegetation not only as a practical temperature-humidity comfort control device, or as a beautiful energetic view, but also as an element that acts like a light curtain."

The green wall flanks a courtyard terrace, which occupies the middle floor and is open to the sky on one side. Meanwhile, most the rooms of the house are positioned on the levels above and below.

A driveway for two cars is located beneath the terrace and leads through to the dining and kitchen areas. A living room and three bedrooms occupy the second floor and can be accessed via a staircase tucked away in the corner.

The dark slate panels that clad the exterior also line some of the walls around the courtyard, contrasting with the light wood finishes applied elsewhere.

Other houses we've featured with indoor green walls include a residence in the Netherlands inside a timber-clad box and a house in Brazil clad with perforated golden metal. See more green walls on Dezeen.

Photography is by Héctor Armanado Herrera and PCW.

Here's a project description from Paul Cremoux studio:

Casa CorManca

On a 12 metres by 13 metres (39ft by 42ft) plot of land, a monolithic volume is transformed in order to attain luminous indoor spaces. Slate stone at the exterior facades is contrasted with the soft beech-like wood finish, achieving great definition and space discovery.

Built in a small plot of land 176 m2, (1894 sqft), the construction rises looking south to the vertical vegetation garden wall. It is a three-storey-high assembly where the main terrace is to be found at the second level, follow by a small lecture studio.

This area is intent to transform radically the notion of "open patio garden" since there is not really space to ensure a ground courtyard, the main terrace plays a social definitive roll.

Recyclable content materials, VOC paint, cross ventilations highly used and passive energy-temperature control strategies are bound into the core design. Three heat exhaustion chimney work as main devices to control hot temperature at bedrooms areas.

Vertical garden is a mayor air quality and humidity creator, where before there was any plant, now we have planted over 4000.

Design Architect: Paul Cremoux W.
Project Team: Anna Giribets Martin
Structural Engineering: Arch. Ricardo Camacho
Equipment Engineering, Sustainability Consultant and vertical garden: Ing. José Antonio Lino Mina, DIA
General Contractor: Fermín Espinosa, Alfredo Galván, Factor Eficiencia

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Paul Cremoux Studio appeared first on Dezeen.

The little building previously functioned as a garage for a weekend retreat in the Raethian Alps, but act_romegialli was asked to convert it into a space where the owner can keep gardening tools, prepare meals and entertain guests.

Retaining the rustic stone walls and columns of the old garage, the architects installed a galvanised metal framework with a skeletal pitched roof, then added glazed panels to infill openings on each of the walls.

Steel wires strung up around the structure help a selection of deciduous plants to climb over the facade, plus a mixture of annual and perennial shrubs are planted around its base, providing a constant blanket of exterior greenery.

The interior of the building is divided into two rooms, both with weather-beaten larch floors and exposed concrete ceilings. The kitchen is constructed from galvanised steel and features a sink with metal pipes for taps.

Other garden pavilions to feature on Dezeen include a wooden folly that cantilevers across a lake and a pavilion with the same structural form as a leaf. See more pavilions on Dezeen.

Photography is by Marcello Mariana.

Read on for a project description from the architects:

"Green Box" | act_romegialli

The "green box" project rises as the renovation of a small disused garage, accessory to a weekend house situated on the slopes of the Raethian Alps. A structure realised with lightweight metal galvanised profiles and steel wires wraps the existent volume and transforms it into a tridimensional support for the climbing vegetation.

It is composed mainly by deciduous vegetation: Lonicera periclymenum and Polygonum baldshuanicum for the main texture on which climb up the secondary texture of Humulus lupulus and Clematis tangutica. On the basement there are groups of herbaceous perennials (Centranthus ruber, Gaura Lindheimeri, Geranium sanguineum, Rudbekia triloba) alternate with annual ones (Cosmos bipinnatus, Tagetes tenuifolia, Tropaeolum majus, Zinnia tenuifolia) and bulbous to ensure a light but continuous flowering.

Inside the pavilion is organised a room for the gardening tools, great passion of the owner, an area for cooking and a space for conviviality. Materials are left rough and simple; galvanised steel for the kitchen, larch planks for flooring and big sliding doors, windows in unpainted galvanised steel, simple pipes for the water supply.

A small green shelter in the vegetation, privileged observation point of the changing of the seasons of the surrounding park. Park that is left wild in some areas and in other transformed into garden of flowers or simple green space, punctuated only by beautiful nude rocks scattered in the property.

Location: Cerido SO – Italy
Typology: pavilion for gardening and conviviality
Design: act_romegialli - Gianmatteo Romegialli, Angela Maria Romegialli, Erika Gaggia
Landscape: Gheo Clavarino
Client: Private

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SportPlaza Mercator is positioned at the entrance to a park in the De Baarsjes neighbourhood. The architects wanted it to fit in with its surroundings, so they added a camouflaging facade of bushy plants and flowers.

"Because the building was constructed in a park we wanted to preserve as much as possible, we completely covered it in vegetation, camouflaging its diverse program," explains VenhoevenCS. "From a distance, it seems like an overgrown fortress flanking and protecting the entryway to the nineteenth century city."

Behind the planted walls, the three-storey building contains swimming pools, a sauna and fitness studios, as well as an events hall, a fast-food restaurant, a cafe and a nursery. An outdoor pool is also included at the rear.

Windows nestle in amongst the planted exterior but feature tinted glass to reduce visibility into the swimming-pool halls. Skylights were also added to bring in more natural light.

The building was completed in 2006 but recently picked up a nomination for the inaugural Green Building Award, organised by Dak & Gevel Groen magazine in the Netherlands.

Other buildings we've featured with planted facades include a townhouse in Portugal, an office building in France and a pharmacy in Japan. See more green walls on Dezeen.

Photography is by Luuk Kramer.

Here's some extra information from VenhoevenCS:

Amsterdam's 'De Baarsjes' is a multicultural neighbourhood that is home to people from 129 different countries. The city district wanted to boost community life in this area. The authorities therefore opted for a building which combines swimming pools, a therapy pool, fitness, aerobics, a sauna and steam bath, a party centre, café and childcare alongside a fast food restaurant. Each individual element attracts different target groups, so the entire population will be able to use it in the end. Inside, everyone can see other activities, intriguing their interest and inspiring them to use other facilities as well. Because the building was constructed in a park we wanted to preserve as much as possible, we completely covered it in vegetation, camouflaging its diverse program.

Now, with its green façades and roof, Sportplaza Mercator marks the start and end of the Rembrandtpark. From a distance, it seems like an overgrown fortress flanking and protecting the entryway to the 19th-century city. Glimpsed through the glass façade, a modern spa-style complex glistens, complete with swimming pools, fitness space, and restaurant and party facilities. The entrance seems like a departure hall from which the various visitors can reach their destination.

The building was designed as a city – a society in miniature – inside a cave. The building is full of lines of sight and keyholes that offer perspectives on the various visitors, activities and cultures in the building. Sunlight penetrates deep into the building's interior through all sorts of openings in the roof. Low windows frame the view of the street and the sun terrace.

Above: ground floor plan - click for larger image

Above: first floor plan - click for larger image

Above: second floor plan - click for larger image

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by VenhoevenCS appeared first on Dezeen.

News: Scientists at a Spanish university are developing a new type of concrete that captures rainwater to create living walls of moss and fungi.

Unlike existing vertical garden systems which require complex supporting structures, the new "biological concrete" supports the growth of organisms on its own surface, according to researchers from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Top image: simulation of a vegetated facade at the Aeronautical Cultural Centre in El Prat de Llobregat

Above: simulation of a vegetated facade at the Ako-Suites Aparthotel in Barcelona

The concrete contains a biological layer that collects and stores rainwater, providing a moist growing environment where microalgae, fungi, lichens and mosses can thrive, they explain in a report.

A waterproof layer separates the organisms from the inner structural part of the concrete, while an outer layer acts in reverse, allowing rainwater in and preventing it from escaping.

Above: lichens on a rock

The concrete also absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and acts as an insulating material and a thermal regulator, say the researchers, who are currently in the process of patenting the material.

The next step is to accelerate the process so that the mossy surface develops in under a year, they add.

We've featured lots of buildings with living walls, including a mossy office building in Amiens, France, and a São Paulo furniture showroom covered with plant-filled vases – see all our stories about green walls.

We've also featured a number of projects using algae, such as a conceptual skyscraper that would make energy from algae and a concept car that would also use the organism to make fuel – see all our stories about algae.

Images are courtesy of UPC.

Here's some more information from the researchers:

Researchers at the UPC develop a biological concrete for constructing “living” façades with lichens, mosses and other microorganisms

The Structural Technology Group has developed and patented a type of biological concrete that supports the natural, accelerated growth of pigmented organisms. The material, which has been designed for the façades of buildings or other constructions in Mediterranean climates, offers environmental, thermal and aesthetic advantages over other similar construction solutions.

In studying this concrete, the researchers at the Structural Technology Group of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) have focused on two cement-based materials. The first of these is conventional carbonated concrete (based on Portland cement), with which they can obtain a material with a pH of around 8. The second material is manufactured with a magnesium phosphate cement (MPC), a hydraulic conglomerate that does not require any treatment to reduce its pH, since it is slightly acidic.

On account of its quick setting properties, magnesium phosphate cement has been used in the past as a repair material. It has also been employed as a biocement in the field of medicine and dentistry, indicating that it does not have an additional environmental impact.

The innovative feature of this new (vertical multilayer) concrete is that it acts as a natural biological support for the growth and development of certain biological organisms, to be specific, certain families of microalgae, fungi, lichens and mosses.

Having patented the idea, the team is investigating the best way to promote the accelerated growth of these types of organisms on the concrete. The goal of the research is to succeed in accelerating the natural colonisation process so that the surface acquires an attractive appearance in less than a year. A further aim is that the appearance of the façades constructed with the new material should evolve over time, showing changes of colour according to the time of year and the predominant families of organisms. On these kinds of buildings, other types of vegetation are prevented from appearing, lest their roots damage construction elements.

Three layers of material

In order to obtain the biological concrete, besides the pH, other parameters that influence the bioreceptivity of the material have been modified, such as porosity and surface roughness. The result obtained is a multilayer element in the form of a panel which, in addition to a structural layer, consists of three other layers: the first of these is a waterproofing layer situated on top of the structural layer, protecting the latter from possible damage caused by water seeping through.

The next layer is the biological layer, which supports colonisation and allows water to accumulate inside it. It acts as an internal microstructure, aiding retention and expelling moisture; since it has the capacity to capture and store rainwater, this layer facilitates the development of biological organisms.

The final layer is a discontinuous coating layer with a reverse waterproofing function. This layer permits the entry of rainwater and prevents it from escaping; in this way, the outflow of water is redirected to where it is aimed to obtain biological growth.

CO2 reduction

The new material, which has various applications, offers environmental, thermal and aesthetic advantages, according to the research team led by Antonio Aguado and supported by Ignacio Segura and Sandra Manso. From an environmental perspective, the new concrete absorbs and therefore reduces atmospheric CO2, thanks to its biological coating.

At the same time, it has the capacity to capture solar radiation, making it possible to regulate thermal conductivity inside the buildings depending on the temperature reached. The biological concrete acts not only as an insulating material and a thermal regulator, but also as an ornamental alternative, since it can be used to decorate the façade of buildings or the surface of constructions with different finishes and shades of colour; it has been designed for the colonisation of certain areas with a variety of colours, without the need to cover an entire surface. The idea is to create a patina in the form of a biological covering or a “living” painting.

There are also possibilities for its use in garden areas as a decorative element and as a sustainable means of blending buildings and constructions into the landscape.

Architectural renovation

The material lends itself to a new concept of vertical garden, not only for newly built constructions, but also for the renovation of existing buildings. Unlike the current vegetated façade and vertical garden systems, the new material supports biological growth on its own surface; therefore, complex supporting structures are not required, and it is possible to choose the area of the façade to which the biological growth is to be applied.

Vegetated façades and vertical gardens depend on a plant substrate in some type of container, or they use cultures that are totally substrate-independent, such as hydroponic cultures. However, they require complex systems attached to the construction itself (layers of material) and even adjacent structures made of metal or plastic. This can lead to complications associated with additional loads, the reduction of light, or the reduction of space around the building. With the new “green” concrete, the organisms can grow directly on the multi-layered material.

Patent and commercialisation

The research has led to a doctoral thesis, which Sandra Manso is writing. At present, the experimental campaign corresponding to the phase of biological growth is being conducted, and this will be completed at the UPC and the University of Ghent (Belgium). This research has received support from Antonio Gómez Bolea, a lecturer in the Faculty of Biology at the University of Barcelona, who has made contributions in the field of biological growth on construction materials.

At present, a patent is in the process of being obtained for this innovative product, and the Catalan company ESCOFET 1886 S.A., a manufacturer of concrete panels for architectural and urban furniture purposes, has already shown an interest in commercialising the material.

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for moss-covered walls appeared first on Dezeen.

Designed by Portuguese architects Luís Rebelo de Andrade, Tiago Rebelo de Andrade and Manuel Cachão Tojal, the three-storey house was designed as a vertical garden that includes 25 different Iberian and Mediterranean plant species.

"Different fragrances are spread throughout the floors," the architects told Dezeen. "In the swimming pool you will have the flavour of saffron; in the bedroom, lavender; in the living-room, rosemary."

"In the heart of a busy city, the vertical garden creates an unique link with nature and an unexpected atmosphere," they added.

A single staircase spans one side of the house to connect all three floors and the roof terrace. The architects describe them as "an allusion to the famous stairs of Alfama," in reference to the stepped streets in the oldest area of the city.

On the roof, the narrow pool stretches along the whole length of the terrace so that it can be used for swimming lengths.

Living and dining rooms are on the second floor, while bedrooms occupy the first floor and a garage and music room are on the ground floor.

Other buildings with green walls on Dezeen include a pharmacy and clinic in Japan and a furniture showroom in Brazil.

See all our stories about green walls »

Photography is by Fernando Guerra.

Here's a description from the architects:

House in Travessa do Patrocínio

From a small lot with its unique implantation, this project has raised early on a couple of challenges... and along with them, ideas emerged.

Above: ground floor plan - click above for larger image

The box housing deviates from the gable to create a vertical yard (glass box), with a straight ladder connecting all floors, an allusion to the famous stairs of Alfama, running between the all four floors walls and linking the various dimensions.

Above: first floor plan - click above larger image

This courtyard is the heart of the house, bringing light to the interior, enhancing the main entrance and creating a real exterior/interior relationship.

Above: second floor plan - click above for larger image

In terms of material, we chose to polish the rectangular form and give the block the face of a tree, making it one more element of the square, which resulted together with the existing tree and water fountain, in a triad.

Above: roof plan - click above for larger image

The program was set up almost automatically, the technical services and garage with direct access from the street, the first floor holding the private area of the house. The second floor is the social area, with a direct connection to the coverage, extending social into outdoors, being the view related to the social side and the private area to both square and Embassy, the setting of a typical Lisbon experience, which is a truly intimate relationship between quarters.

Therefore, this project is in fact a mini lung and an example of sustainability for the city of Lisbon, keeping the principles of a living typical habitat and a relationship with the outside, assuming a revitalizing urban role.

Above: section - click above for larger image 

Architects: Luís Rebelo de Andrade, Tiago Rebelo de Andrade & Manuel Cachão Tojal
Co-Workers: Madalena Rebelo de Andrade, Raquel Jorge, Carlos Ruas & Tiago Moniz
Location: Travessa do Patrocínio, Lisbon, Portugal
Project Year: 2008-2012
Project Area: 248 sqm
Client: BWA – Buildings With Art

Construction:
Construoeiras, Obras Públicas e Construção Civil SA
Supervision - RTNC,Lda - Eng. Rui Taborda
Electrical, Communications and Safety - EppE - Eng. José Cardoso Water and Sewer - Carlos Nunes Baptista
AVAC - Prom & E, Lda – Eng. Luis Baião
Gardens - Adn-Garden Desing

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de Andrade and Manuel Cachão Tojal appeared first on Dezeen.