It's a Mammoth Museum by Leeser for Yakutsk
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.26.07
Leeser is More with their winning the competition to design the World Mammoth and Permafrost Museum in Yakutsk, Siberia. They have to build this quick before the permafrost is gone and they need a big walk-in cooler for all of the mammoths that pop out. Its going to display an intact mammoth and have underground galleries where one can view the permafrost. (what's to see?). Like many buildings and even the Alaska pipeline, it's up on stilts to minimize contact and heat transfer into the permafrost.
From the press release:
"The envelope is constructed of a super-insulated double wall glazed façade with an Aerogel lattice network situated between the glazing layers. Natural light is provided to the interior perimeter zones while Aerogel’s silica pores trap gas modules to slow down the transfer of heat energy."
The Museum and Scientific Research Center and Laboratory study Siberian mammoths and permafrost, the natural habitat where their remains have been found. Leeser Architecture’s pioneering design creates a shelter for life within extreme surroundings, preserving the permafrost and fostering a comfortable learning, working and socializing environment. Renowned for innovating new technologies that respond to particular problems, Leeser Architecture has created an architectural prototype for building in harsh climates and ecologically sensitive sites. Finalists included Antoine Predock (US), Massimilio Fuksas (Italy), SRL (Denmark) and YakuProekt (Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Russia).
Designed as a low-impact, highly insulated, and well-conditioned response to the extreme climate, the Museum is elevated on structural supports 20 feet above the patterned ground. Minimal surface area contact enables as little heat transfer as possible to the thermally sensitive permafrost. The Museum’s translucent skin is patterned by the logic of the self-regulating geometries of the permafrost.
Inverted legs on the roof act as light collectors, capturing sunlight form the south and west. Light monitors, positioned to disrupt wind patterning and minimize snow drifting on the roof, regulate shades to prevent heat loss. Energy use in the building is reduced by the efficient daylight capture as well as the use of high-efficiency artificial lighting, efficient chillers and boilers, air heat recovery, displacement ventilation, and the well-insulated envelope. Wind turbines and solar photo-voltaic cells produce electricity which is stored on site, reducing the building’s dependency on the grid. ::Dezeen
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Inhotim: A Museum Complex Inside a Tropical Park
- Tree Museum by Ilkka Halso
- Vote for Who Gets $10 Million for Green Tech
- Another Quote of the Day: Two Views on Polar Bears
80% of Schools Apply Pesticides Regardless of Need!
|
Authenticity. (Get it Free with Your Commitment to Preserve the Earth!)
|
