04 Studio Kalachev
ARGUS Climate Research Station
Studio Master: Alexandr Kalachev
This semester we want to challenge the students to develop the project exploring
the possibilities of creating an autonomous, non-governmental, climate research
station. We are interested in experimenting with building construction methods under extreme environmental conditions. The station must function as an observatory,
an expedition hub and an experimentation facility. It can be represented as a single
entity or be part of a broader network of research units/clusters, performing a modularity study for a future station expansion.
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The program of the station should be following an actual and contemporary debate
or research on climate change or the development of new renewable energy resources. In this sense the site will be chosen by the students as the product of an initial
research of environmental conditions informing the fabrication methods and building technologies utilized and vice versa. The project must provide flexibility as well
as high level of adaptability, which must be reflected in its structure, performance
and construction methods. We are interested in design exploration within the field
of computational design and robotics as well as the inquiry into the possibilities of
creating smart design/organization solutions.
Through the duration of the semester, students will be asked to develop a model
of building/structure lifecycle both in digital and physical/ prototypical world, by
introducing the theory, the requirements and the design concepts for autonomous
adjustable architectural elements of structures or systems in extreme environments.
Our main concern is to minimize as much as possible, aiming the obliteration of Co2
emissions produced by the construction process. Therefore, 3D printing technique
as well as non-waste fabrication techniques must be used in order to produce the
building and its parts. Through the proposed project we are interested in defining
our present as much as our future by experimenting within the field of remote architectural design control.
We want to encourage the students to participate in an active dialogue on the matters of architecture as a self-sustainable entity in terms of energy, but with a direct
dialogue with its surroundings and a contemporary global discussion. Creating
architectural pieces, as well as associated res