SELF-EFFICENT RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX BUILDING FOR A NEW CULTURE OF SUSTAINIBILITY Student: Supervisor:
Lorena Bajollari Artan Raça
The focus of this thesis is the design of a self-sufficient complex residential building, for a new culture of sustainability. People should be aware of the manner and extent of use of the basic resources, in order to have as much fresh air, green public spaces, and a better quality of life. All these needs lead us to search for a new concept which will make our city more sustainable, more beautiful, and more livable. Contemporary architecture is facing everyday life’s problems including social, economic, political, technical, and formal ones. Architecture needs to understand the real needs of a society, the changing aspirations that go beyond aesthetics, in order to comply with basic issues like cultural contribution, usage values, cost effectiveness and issues, and the creation of an easier life for its citizens. The research related to sustainable architecture is a small contribution to the development of an architectural vocabulary which discovers the art of environmental control by manipulating the shape and fabric of the building. This is part of a global tradition, and art is an integral part of doing architecture. The selection of this topic for the development of a new model of urban living in Tirana came as a need to reflect on the current architectural situation of residential complexes. Beyond architecture’s language of creating beauty, there is need for our society to go towards a more sustainable future. This project developed a range of strategies by designing an | 236
energy-efficient residential complex, responding to the climatic conditions and to the local tradition of construction. The design of residential complexes which goes beyond meeting basic needs is a feature of a new urban and social dimension. The area selected for the location, is a former industrial area, which lies along the “Kavaja” street and, on the south-western part, is characterized by a combination of commercial and residential areas. The geometric shape of the residential complex volume is conceived as two blocks in a U-shape with a green plaza where residents have more privacy. The outside terrain systemization follows the concept of the relationship of volume in order to create a social interaction. The idea is to increase the environmental quality of the social relations, through expressive architecture in terms of volume, materials and colors. Also, the concept of this volume’s shape is the production of a compact block in order to have energy efficiency sources for all the apartments. In conclusion, the final product of this project aims to show that besides the numerous aspects of sustainable architecture, energy efficiency is a fundamental element in today’s building. More than a solution to problems, it is a step to create wider public awareness, because if these aspects of sustainable architecture were recognized elsewhere and could be applied in other cases as well, positive effects, in many respects, would be considerable.