SKYLIGHT VIA OPTIC FIBER
The Remote Skylight is a technology that aims to capture natural light from above the ground and transfer it underground.
It consists of a sunlight collector and, through a pole filled with optical fibers, the light is transferred to the light “diffuser” located below ground to distribute the sun's rays throughout the underground space. Its effectiveness is high and it occupies a very small square area. The technology will therefore be implemented on the central axis of the bike path, together with the existing lampposts, so as not to interfere with the already consolidated dynamics of the avenue.
It consists of a sunlight collector and, through a pole filled with optical fibers, the light is transferred to the light “diffuser” located below ground to distribute the sun's rays throughout the underground space. Its effectiveness is high and it occupies a very small square area. The technology will therefore be implemented on the central axis of the bike path, together with the existing lampposts, so as not to interfere with the already consolidated dynamics of the avenue.
SKYLIGHT VIA OPTIC FIBER. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.
NATURAL LIGHTNING AND VENTILATION. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.
NATURAL LIGHTNING AND VENTILATION
Among the technical drawings provided by the city, sections of the underground technical areas of Avenida Paulista served as the basis for the layout of the artificial ventilation, water, sewage, gas, electricity and telephone pipes, among others, in the “Activation of Voids” design proposal. Long corridors 1.20m wide run along most of the length of the project, with 0.65m for technical staff to pass through, so that they have the greatest possible access to the pipes, which are located in the remaining 0.55m wide corridors. The wet pipe is located below the other pipes so that, in the event of a leak, the others don't come into contact with water. Ventilation, on the other hand, is located above all the plumbing and wiring, with access to the rest of the project, so that the inflation of the project takes place artificially, while the exit of the air can take place naturally. Finally, the technical installations, which are arranged at a height greater than human scale, can be accessed by a mobile vertical ladder.
DETAIL OF THE SLAB AND BEAMS. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.
APPROXIMATE SECTION. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.
"A-BEAM" as "Natural Sctructural Luminaires"
For the project to have a long and clear span in the courtyard area, the beams had to be very large and efficient. Besides that, to bring more natural light into the interior of the project, it was implemented a structural glass in the slab inbetween the beams that reflected light. Combining them both, it was created the concept of “Structural Natural Luminaires”, a luminaire intrinsic to the architecture.
"BEAM-SEAT"
Throughout the development of the inverted “A” shape as a tool for designing the “natural structural luminaires”, another form of beam emerged from the sketches. Note that the beam is a reformulation of the original shape, since the change in design was by lengthening “one of the legs of the A-shape”, so that it extends beyond the slab and, with a more elongated bend, a public furniture is formed - the “Beam-seat”. In this way, at the same time as the city is brought into the project, either through the light or through the visibility of passing cars or pedestrians, among other factors, this element is a way of doing the reverse: expanding the project into the city.
A-BEAM DETAIL. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.
SEAT-BEAM DETAIL. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.
STRUCTURE AND MATERIALITY
The materiality and structure are strictly linked to the construction process and the region's surroundings. Once Paulista Avenue is extremely consolidated, it would not be easy to carry out a project with structural elements cast-in-place. The construction work would take too long to be finalized, negatively interfering with the flow of people and cars on the avenue, congesting the city's traffic for longer, etc.
Prefabricated elements are therefore a better option for the project, given the local context of dense urban mobility. Therefore, concrete slabs and structural glass blocks, as well as metal pillars and beams structure the project.
Prefabricated elements are therefore a better option for the project, given the local context of dense urban mobility. Therefore, concrete slabs and structural glass blocks, as well as metal pillars and beams structure the project.
STRUCTURE DETAIL. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.
A-BEAM PHYSYCAL MODEL. SOURCE: AUTHOR, 2023.