Accedi
Utenti registrati
Practicing for projects in Qatar is an opportunity for us to develop research and applications for future scenarios regarding life in extreme climatic conditions. Building a holistic medical center in Qatar, a place where for environmental and hygienic reasons it is not possible to use direct natural ventilation for the healthcare facilities, especially during the high summer temperatures (a global warming scenario that could be general is therefore not a dystopian scenario future), we thought it was an excellent opportunity to innovate. The main objective is to recreate a space where natural greenery and circadian light provide the best healthy comfort for visitors and patients, perfectly in line with the trend of "biophilic" architectures.
The location is the center of Doha, a city with an urban fabric of towers and large high-speed roads. The lack of greenery in this area is a further incentive to build it indoors, obviously supported by adequate light. The average temperatures are very high for almost 4 months of the year, especially in the summer when sandstorms occur caused by the eddies in the Urban Canyons of the skyscrapers, which force the recreation of the best environmental conditions even inside the buildings.
For this important project, we have developed "tunable white" LED modules, which make it possible to integrate an optimal luminous flux for plant growth (PPF) with a light that is pleasant for human perception, making the result perfect for use in an environment related to human health. The materials used are all sustainable, starting with wood from fast-growing essences and not from deforestation, resins and plaster with natural substances, no glues, ceramics and Corian (material with a low content of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and no of dangerous chemicals, it also helps to improve the quality of the air in indoor environments which absorbs Co2.
The centrality of a real and effective sustainability had to combine the idea of a natural filter for the air, with the physical and perceptual comfort of an environment with fluid geometries, without edges and corners, with natural materials that maintained a warm chromatic homogeneity even when the light at midday, following the natural circadian cycle, assumes the coldest spectrum of the sun at the local zenith (6000 K). With the exception of the "square" at the entrance, the distribution of the functions of the center winds through a wide corridor that is never rigid and rectilinear and illuminated laterally from the ceiling by indirect light which accentuates the verticality of the continuous cladding wooden strips, even on the doors which are indicated only by dark and copper vertical elements that highlight the discreet orientation graphics. The sinuous path often interrupted by these large green islands, small urban jungles with the strong light of the artificial skylights coming from inside the building and amplified by a system of mirrors which also amplify the tree mass which in turn prevents perception of make-up by amplifying the space precisely in these pauses along the route. In these areas the artificial ventilation system is concentrated during the nocturnal extraction phase which allows the absorption of the CO2 present in the environment and the daytime diffusion phase of the oxygen produced by the plants themselves.
The technology of lights, for the well-being of plants & humans is combined with the presence of greenery as an aesthetic choice. This does not replace the expressiveness of the architectural forms, which geometrically support the luminous fluxes, pauses or accents of light from an artificial sun which floods the islands with lush vegetation. Indoor greenery is not just decoration, but a functional tool for individual well-being, a synthesis of nature and tech as a paradigm of a new aesthetic.
Giampiero Peia is the CEO and chief Architect of PEIA Associates architectural firm since 2006 when he
founded the holding with his partner Marta Nasazzi.
In 2006 The Oyster was the first building on The Pearl Island, a reclaim land and new town in Qatar. Further buildings, as private residences, hospitality and commercial are the most progressive architectures and Landmarks in Doha.
PEIA design was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar for the just opened and so-called HALL of QATAR, the renewed 800 seats Assembly Hall in the United Nation of Geneva by the 20 Million donation of the State of Qatar.
PEIA design several important buildings in Qatar like the tallest building in Doha, The Kempinski Residence Hotel and the Alfardan Towers.
PEIA is official Ambassador of the Italian Design Day in Qatar and other countries.
Giampiero Peia and Marta Nasazzi are member of the advisory Board of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar Foundation.
