Eco Factor: Sustainable university complex designed with green materials.
Erick Van Egeraat has won the competition to design Sberbank Corporate University, close to the Novorizhkaya highway west of Moscow. Located in a suburban setting, the 30,000-sqm university will provide space for education and conference facilities, dormitories, guest teacher quarters, teacher residences, a club building and sports facilities.
The spacious setting creates comfortable scaled public spaces that bring individuals close to nature. The buildings are connected with an elegant climate controlled colonnade, which is programmed with recreational bar and relaxation functions.
The architects have defined a sustainable short building process, that includes the use of prefabricated concrete columns and floor slabs that also help in minimizing construction waste. Moreover, all façade and space dividing elements are to be made using prefabricated wood and glass elements.
Putting sustainability in the center of the design agenda, the floor slabs have cantilevers providing space for terraces, summer shading and adding to the building’s thermal mass. This thermal mass helps in reducing the amount of energy needed for mechanical cooling and heating. The majority of the buildings in the complex allow for natural cross ventilation to further reduce energy demands.
Most horizontal surfaces will have vegetated roofs to improve the air quality and the insulation standards of the building. The architects are aiming to execute the project with materials that have a low environmental impact and the prefabricated wooden elements will be placed without the use of formaldehyde.
Via: (designed by) Erick Van Egeraat
