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The proposed architectural project involves the addition of new buildings around already existing listed buildings in order to create an enclosed university research campus. The goal of this project is to create a cohesive and functional campus that integrates the historical and cultural significance of the listed buildings with the functional and technological needs of a modern university.
All new construction is connected to the existing structures through a network of walkways, courtyards, and gardens. These spaces serve as communal areas for students, providing opportunities for informal learning and social interaction. The floorplates of the new buildings are developed using an evolutionary algorithm that iteratively generates and tests semi-orthogonal Voronoi spaceframes.
The proposed scheme embodies a holistic approach to creating a campus that seamlessly blends the historical and cultural significance of the listed buildings with the functional and technological needs of a modern university, while also being mindful of its environmental impact.
In order to test the generation of a 3D semi-orthogonal Voronoi volume if it is preforming well in the defined aspects, the fitness objectives of the process should be clearly stated and ordered according to their importance.
An architectural score is drafted to govern the parameters of the algorithm’s output to meet the required internal floor area, but also to manage the complexity of the structure, for ease of internal circulation and fabrication of the fragments.
The logic of a Voronoi is to optimise the use of space within the building by creating efficient layouts and circulation patterns. This mathematical model is also used to fragment spaces into compact layouts with shorter distances between facilities.
The footprint of the spaces remains linear in the lower floors and becomes more fragmented and distorted in the upper floors. The Voronoi algorithm, through series of iterations is used to incorporate lightwells and atria.
Using the 3D models of terrains where monasteries around Barcelona are located, their topographic contours are used to recreate a flattened 3D terrain on the tiles giving them depth but also the thickness required for the high thermal mass.