Comprehension, Analysis, Synthesis

The objective of the course is to delve into and reflect on the multilevel  parameters involved in the design of  multi-storey high technology buildings. The new demand for parking spaces in the cities, the new climatic data, the increased needs for protection from the sun and energy consumption, the new technologies for  facade design, the organization of vertical communication nodes for fire  safety, the new high technology systems for managing E/M installations (smart buildings) and the alternative heating - cooling systems lead to multiple commitments and demand vast knowledge of the conception and design of buildings.

The course follows three basic axes:

-The theoretic approach in the form of lectures given by the instructors on:

   -tall buildings

   -skyscrapers

   -load-bearing structure of tall buildings

   -special foundations (diaphragm walls, Top down, pile driving, watertight basins)

   -glass buildings

   -new technologies for facade design (double facades, protection from the sun)

   -vertical communication nodes (stairwells, elevators, escalators etc.)

   -parking spaces (underground – above ground – mechanical etc.)

   -electromechanical installations of tall buildings (new technologies, electromechanical floor,     

     raised floors, drywall ceilings)

   -smart buildings

   -bio climatic approach

   -green roofs

-Visits to construction sites and on the spot update by the instructors and an interdisciplinary team of experts.

- Semester Project ( it usually deals with the study of multi-storey buildings for mixed uses in an actual plot).

The purpose is to produce a complete design in relation to the immediate urban environment, (circulation, entrances, exits, existing buildings etc.), the selection of the proper static load carrier to serve the needs of the building program and of the appropriate functional, morphological and constructive choices.