Systemic Design for Decarbonizing Buildings and Cities
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Last updated 1 March 2025
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Lecture details
Systemic Design for Decarbonizing Buildings and Cities
17 Aug 2023
4.00 pm – 5.30 pm.
MND Auditorium, Annex A, 5 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069110
1.5 SIP CPD Pts, 2 BOA-SIA Pts.
Seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Seats are limited and will only allow pre-registrations for seating. Please be seated 10 minutes before lecture begins, after which we will open the venue to walk-in guests.
Lecture video
Synopsis
The lecture aims to explore the systemic design of buildings and cities to achieve low carbon emissions, high energy performance and liveability. In order to address the complex challenges, a systemic perspective is required, which integrates critical aspects such as energy demand and supply, human comfort, and their implications on architectural and urban design. This approach recognizes the interdependency of design on different scales ranging from the material and component level to the building and city level.
Case studies from Zurich and Switzerland are used to illustrate the application of methods and the practical implementation of systemic design principles in living labs. One such example is the HiLo unit at NEST that exemplifies the integration of lightweight structures and innovative energy systems. By emphasizing the importance of systemic design, the lecture aims to inspire architects, urban planners, and policymakers to adopt holistic approaches and analytical methods for tackling the grand challenges the built environment faces.
Lecture report
Our built environment covers a wide range of scales from the material and component levels to the building, neighbourhood and city levels. Due to interconnections between these different aspects, changes to one component can interact with another, and result in wider implications across the different scales. Therefore, design processes need to be iterative and integrated as we take into account how new materials and approaches, mobility demands, as well as infrastructure, affect how we build as a whole.
Professor Schlueter’s lecture reflected this by highlighting how a systemic design approach is required, by considering various critical factors such as energy demand and supply, human comfort, and their implications on architectural and urban design.
High Performance – Low Emissions (HiLo) unit
Professor Schlueter illustrated this through the application of methods and the practical implementation of systemic design principles in living labs such as the High Performance – Low Emissions (HiLo) unit at NEST in Switzerland. NEST operates as a modular research and innovation hub that allows researchers to test and operate different construction innovations in a building and showcase their applicability and feasibility to industry partners. The HiLo unit exemplifies the integration of lightweight structures, inventive energy systems and refined aesthetics.
One element that stood out was the funicular floor system at the HiLO. Through computation design, the 3D-printed formwork was able to achieve structural optimisation using 50 per cent less concrete without compromising carrying capacity, while also creating a visually striking design. Professor Schlueter explained that this floor design further supported the integration of heating, cooling, and ventilation into the structural design. As an additional benefit, the building was able to achieve a more even temperature distribution, translating to higher comfort for its users.
Adaptive Solar Façade
Professor Schlueter also shared that façades could play an active role as an interface between the interior and exterior of a building. This thinking led to the development of the adaptive solar façade (ASF) which challenged conventional static façades, while managing opposing concerns such as light, shade and privacy. The ASF moves and responds to the requirements of users of the space over time, while also actively producing solar energy when the room is not occupied. In emphasizing the systemic aspect of the design, Professor Schlueter noted that the façade is intricately linked to the space behind. For instance, if the building’s heating and cooling systems is highly efficient, the solar façade becomes an ideal for maximising solar generation. However, he also highlighted that ultimately the suitability of these technologies’ hinges on the specific context in which they are applied, underlining the importance of tailoring solutions to local conditions.
Future city
Finally, Professor Schlueter shared a project, in which the key challenge involved computing the emissions of a hypothetical city that did not yet exist. To address this, researchers developed a catalogue of typologies by assuming the future city would have similarities with the current. This served as a foundation for generating the geometry of the ‘typical’ city and evaluating the performance of diverse block typologies. The research emphasised that carbon emissions savings are significantly influenced by various block typologies. It underscores the importance for urban planners and designers to select the most suitable and best performing block typologies to effectively build cities that align with climate emission reduction targets. He also shared the importance of using data to comprehensively understand urban occupancy patterns to enable more precise city planning, particularly in designing energy systems.
In conclusion, Professor Schlueter highlighted the importance of utilising analytics to balance functionality, aesthetics and incorporate energy emissions, as we redefine, redesign, and transform our cities.
About the Speakers
SPEAKER
Prof Dr Arno Schlueter
Head of Architecture and Building Systems Group;
Principal Investigator / Future Cities Laboratory Singapore / FCL Global;
Director of Studies / Master of Integrated Building Systems (MIBS),
ETH Zurich
Arno Schlueter researches on systemic approaches for integrating energy systems for the design, production and operation of low-emission buildings. He holds a degree in architecture from the Technical University of Karlsruhe and a PhD in building systems from ETH Zurich. In his research and teaching, he and his interdisciplinary team focus on computational and experimental methods for novel building components and integrated systems. He is a Professor of Architecture and Building Systems at the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA) at ETH Zurich, Principal Investigator at the SEC Future Cities Lab (FCL) in Singapore and Director of Studies of the Master program of Integrated Building Systems (MIBS). Recent awards include the 2022 Arc Award and the 2023 Watt d’Or for Excellence in Energy Innovation.
MODERATOR
Tan Chee Kiat
Group Director (Engineering),
JTC
Mr Tan Chee Kiat oversees the full spectrum of engineering design, quality and workplace safety and health practices for the development of JTC’s industrial building and infrastructure works. His portfolio also includes the design and project management of reclamation works for JTC. In addition, he leads and oversees JTC’s sustainability efforts, the collaboration and partnerships for the research and development projects for the built environment and adoption of Integrated Digital Delivery across the built environment value chain at JTC.