Student takes green approach to Granite City
An RGU Architecture student has impressed judges at a national competition with his concept of bringing intimate green spaces to the granite of Aberdeen.
Marco Antonio Paz-Garcia finished second in the individual category at the Future Urban Ventilation Healthy Building Competition, which took place in Birmingham over the summer.
The competition is designed to inspire architects and engineers to come up with buildings that create healthy indoor environments and meet net-zero targets. The challenge for entrants is to propose an idea that addresses both issues.
Marco’s entry was entitled ‘G2G Social Housing – (from) Granite to Green’ and is composed of 14 flats which include an amphitheatre, a moss garden, and a communal kitchen on the rooftop. He expressed that attending the Clean Air Conference in Birmingham was a positive experience for some studying architecture.
Marco said: “The Clean Air Conference was an eye-opening experience for me, especially for an Architecture student. Listening to lecturers, researchers, and field specialists distilled the general environmental issues that derive from poor air quality and ventilation – from the technological aspect of a specific material, passing through indoor private spaces, up to public and urban areas.
“The dynamics of the event allowed for professional interpersonal skills to take place, where entrepreneurs and scientists connected and perhaps would collaborate in the future. In terms of logistics, it was incredibly well organised, and it ran smoothly throughout both days. The event took place at the Edgbaston Park Hotel, a special place in the heart of Birmingham University Campus.
“I was kindly invited to the conference after participating in the Future Urban Ventilation Healthy Building Competition from Breathing City, for which I won the Second-place Prize.
“The involvement and networking of different organizations, companies, and universities helped to question and tackle a communal problem: How the air we breathe can affect our livelihood.”
Marco’s concept would allow residents to enjoy the best quality sunlight on Aberdeen mornings, and escape from the greyness of Aberdeen City’s granite.
"I focus on terms such as Social Rent, Affordable Rent, and Starter Homes, to tackle a site-specific problematic: How Single-person Homelessness and Mental Health in the Aberdeenshire area relates to Architecture. The scheme also ‘rewards’ those willing to volunteer and do work for the community – say organizing Christmas meals, storytelling for children and the elders in the amphitheatre, or taking care of the garden.
"On the ground floor, a moss pocket garden visually invites the public to dive into a zen environment. Next to it, is the amphitheatre, which serves as a cinema pavilion or simply a warm gathering area open for people to shelter from the weather on a 24/7-public access basis (targeting the homeless and creating a ’monitoring’ practice upon the vulnerable ones).
"On the rooftop, a food winter garden that is roofed during Winter, and open during Summer. It holds several scree beds with vegetables, fruit trees and herbs that are grown by the public and the residents while positive social relations take place by the simple act of harvesting, cooking, and sharing a communal meal in a space that is safe for everyone."
He also designed his own proposal for a micro-ecosystem, self-sustainable, Net-Negative interior bio-facade system composed of moss + mycelium composite, a regenerative and 100% compostable material that eliminates C02 and produces O2. His second experimental proposal is using a slightly different mycelium composite to create an external façade element that works both as a ‘thermal layer’ and ‘protective layer’ simultaneously.
