2020 Build Challenge – Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile. Image Courtesy of Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon on Flickr
The United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm announced the winners of the 2021 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon, a competition that challenges architecture and engineering college students from around the world to design and construct high-performance buildings powered by renewable energy. 72 competing teams hailed from 12 countries and designed energy-efficient residential and commercial spaces, nine of which were constructed and presented in the Solar Decathlon Virtual Village on the National Mall, a first of its kind, in Washington, D.C.
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Cortesía de Departamento de Arquitectura de la Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's self-supporting bridge, architect Diego Poblete has developed a structure that can be assembled in less than 15 minutes and, according to his study, can support up to 500 kilograms. Focusing on the issue of connectivity in rural towns, Poblete developed a wooden system that is assembled without using a single screw, optimizing the use of the resource and facilitating easy construction:
With this we can facilitate the journey of children to school in rural areas, in areas where paths are interrupted by rivers or streams. Also, once the structure has reached its useful life, the parts can be easily replaced by new ones, while the wood, being a natural material, can be reused or recycled. In this way, this pedestrian bridge is also an environmentally friendly solution.
The project was born from Poblete's thesis project as a pedestrian walkway and is based on a modular design that could be repeated to cover larger stretches. Its main advantage is the fact that it uses no nails or screws, using digitally-manufactured traditional carpentry joints.
Earlier this year, Chilean architects and professors Luis Pablo Barros and Gustavo Sarabia from the Federico Santa María University released a book (in Spanish) titled "Sistemas Constructivos Básicos" (Basic Construction Systems)." The book aims to be a tool to help architects translate their plan diagrams into tangible architectural works, as well as to help students learn the knowledge necessary to build what they plan.
https://www.archdaily.com/802593/17-templates-for-common-construction-systems-to-help-you-materialize-your-projectsPola Mora
