1. INSA balconies: A parasitic architecture.
- Author
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Ben Ghida, D.
- Subjects
- *
ARCHITECTURAL details , *APPLIED sciences , *VERNACULAR architecture , *SUSTAINABLE consumption , *THERMAL comfort , *SUSTAINABLE architecture - Abstract
Balconies are regularly altered in all sorts of structures to accommodate changing architectural tastes, user needs, maintenance expectations, accessibility, and security concerns. In 2016, the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA Strasbourg) in France pierced through the façade of a midcentury structure to make it the home of their latest project, a parasite INSA balcony. The aptly called intervention, which resembles sprouting growth, is part of a larger urban revitalization goal to challenge the traditional architecture. Their parasite growth model promotes eco-sustainable and low-cost building with minimum waste. The INSA balconies have a number of consequences on a building's sustainable consumption, primarily in terms of thermal comfort and energy consumption. The rebuilt facade provides a layer to the building's exterior while simultaneously becoming a part of the interior, blurring the boundaries of the enclosed space. This article discusses the potential of this intervention on existing patrimony for the construction of spaces through volumetric augmentation (known as "parasitic architecture") and how this project contributed to the eco-efficiency and CO2 emissions reduction of the 1955 INSA bloc "C" while preserving its architectural elements and heritage interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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