Presentation of Living Shell in the NZZ
Living Shell © 2016 LAST / EPFL
The Living Shell research project, which led to the development of a new lightweight construction system specifically adapted to the vertical extension of residential buildings and to which the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) actively participated, is presented in the NZZ's special section dedicated to the home of the future.
In a context characterized by the reduction of buildable areas and the search for urban densification potentialities, the vertical extension of existing buildings offers an interesting avenue for creating new housing in the heart of the already built areas.
Taking into account these issues, Living Shell has been developed with the support of the CTI in collaboration with the Competence Centre for Typology and Planning in Architecture (CCTP) of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), as well as with many private and public partners.
The research project has been developed as a new modular system, which utilizes the full potential of combining a lightweight steel frame, an efficient thermal insulation and other materials suitable to dry construction processes (wood, plasterboard).
This new modular system - based on a novel combination of 3D modules and 2D elements - is able to reply to various needs for the transformation of existing roofs : living spaces, working spaces, garden surfaces or solar energy devices. In order to verify its concrete applicability, case studies have been realized in Geneva, Olten, Lucerne and Hamburg.