Why concrete tubes?

Beside of having no structural support and sustainable fea-ture we wanted to de-sign a building that could be portable. Portable buildings seem to catch more attention and popu-larity. If need be, our restaurant could easily be transfered anywhere around the continent.

Concept Coming up with radical innovationns that also implement sustainable design was a require-ment for the d3 compe-tition. Our initial idea started by applying easy and known sustainable features such as natural ventilation and rain wa-ter collection. We then proceeded to add a fea-ture that we thought might not be seen or used as often..

Concrete pipes have been around for centuries. Their primary uses have mainly been for underground sew-age and other commerce purposes. The idea was to design a building that would use the minimum or no structural support. Con-crete pipe seemed to do just the trick since its a struc-ture piece that can stand on its own with no added help.

Transportation cost dont often get includ-ed in sustainable design which shouldnt be the case since it leave a big enough footprint. We are also looking into finding the most minimal way of transporting all of our materials in less trips to reduce the amount of poplution.

Exterior

ColumnsThe columns you see inside the restaurant are costum designed to cor-relate with the flower shaped cones that sit on top. These columns are used to run and filter the water that gets collected from the cones when it rains. The water runs down the colums and gets deposited to a cistern that sits underneath the restaurant. When shading is needed these columns use a layer that pumps water back up to the cones produc-ing shading.

DesignThe flower cone colums are designed after a soft organic feel. This seemed to be the best fit to have since the buildind itself is already has a very hard and cold fealing. The vines on the columns and cones relate with the function of the water dispersment.

The flower cones that are placed on top of the columns have a significant purpose and mean-ing to the restaurant. They are rain water collectors that produce shade when the sun is overbearing. The cones are double panels that work with each other. The exterior one col-lects water when it rains. It drips down the colums into a cistern underneath the restau-rant and get pumped back up when needed. The exterior panel is the one inside the restau-rant. It works as a shading device when the sun is blaring over customers by pumping enough water back up to the middle space between the exterior and interior panels, coats it with a specialized paint, and gives a translucent face to the water providing the shade needed.

How does this work?

Interior

Concrete

ColumnsThe columns you see inside the restaurant are costum designed to correlate with the flower shaped cones that sit on top. These col-umns are used to run and filter the water that gets collected from the cones when it rains. The water runs down the colums and gets deposited to a cistern that sits underneath the restaurant. When shading is needed these columns use a layer that pumps wa-ter back up to the cones producing shading.

One of the shapes that we came out with were angled cut pieces that we turned into booths . These booths have been transformed to be placed in the middle of the restaurant for a more public use. Other tubes have been cut in half or bigger pieces with slight aesthetic and acoustic cuts. These bigger booths allow for small or big groups to dine in without disturbing other customers. These group booths are private and more intimate than the others. They also retain noise to protect those around and not be of a disturbance.

The concrete pipes, as mentioned before, have been integrated into the walls as part of the structural system in order to reduce the amount of structure needed. These walls surround the restaurant to support the complex ceiling. The pipes are dug into the foundation for strenght and stability. The pipes are connected with mortar to reduce the amount of air that is let in or gets released. Mortar is an option for permanent restaurants only. For portable options these pipes are placed very tightly together.

Concrete is a great material to work with because it can be manipulated into any shape or form. Fiber tubes were used as models to cut through and see the different types of shapes that tubes could become. The possibilites were endless as much as they were fun.

What are the many functions of the concrete pipe?

Concrete is a material that has the ability to hold in heat during the day and release it during the night. At night it then retains the cold and chilled air which gets released during the day and keeps the building cool. The pipes will have vents cut into the top and bottom in order to produce this cycle in a successful way. Heat will be sucked in through the bottom of each column and released through a fan through the top. This allows for nat-ural ventilation to circulate without the use of air conditioning or heaters.

How does the Air system function?

Each tube that is seen in the front of the facade has the ability to open and close conforming to needed ventilation. Some cuts have also been made on the wall columns to allow for more airflow as well as giving the restaurant a lighter feel. Big doors in the front have been designed to maintain temperature inside of the building. There are two set of doors, one on the inside and the other on the outside. This system helps to neutralize the temperature in air by the time it comes inside otr gets released. z

Ventilation