In Àgora València, thermal comfort strategies have been studied. Its design has considered climatic variables such as air circulation and solar radiation. Solar protection is achieved by employing vertical slats and a wooden roof, which manages to reduce the amount of solar radiation while allowing the building to be naturally ventilated. The sum of the solar protection and the ventilation system works to lower the temperature inside the pavilion by up to 10 degrees compared to any other point in the square, all without using energy and without emitting CO2.
Àgora València by Miguel Arraiz + Arqueha. Photograph by Alejandro Gómez Vives.
Description of project by Miguel Arraiz and Arqueha
"From the outset, we have approached the project as a gift for the present and future of València, putting people at the centre", explained Miguel Arraiz. "In this unique opportunity to bring design and its transversality closer to citizens, companies, and institutions, Àgora València explores the materials and craft traditions of our territory. In addition to extolling the Valencian roots, which describe a way of doing things, the materials and construction systems that allow the modular and dismountable format of the pavilion constitute a decided commitment to circularity and durability".
With a surface area of 350 square meters, this modular pavilion tells the story of the renowned design born on the shores of the Mediterranean, of materials arising from ceramic innovation, and of traditions such as the vareta by the artist Manolo García.
Located in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Àgora València consists of a structure with ground plan dimensions of 24 by 10 meters and a height of 9 meters.
Àgora València by Miguel Arraiz + Arqueha. Photograph by Alejandro Gómez Vives.
The Arqueha studio, coordinator of Plan Cero for the climate transition of three neighbourhoods in the city of Valencia, was in charge of the technical development of the project, applying prefabrication and sustainability parameters. With the use of digitalization through BIM methodology, together with parametric design, it has been possible to resolve all the components of the building in an industrialized manner, making each of the frames that support the slats unique, prefabricated, and dismountable.
The design, technical development, and construction had to be carried out in record time. With a construction period of two months, the use of digital tools and prefabrication has played a leading role in a project that defines the future of digitalized, industrialized, and sustainable construction.
To this end, different digital tools have been implemented to increase the number of prefabrication processes while maintaining the original design of the building. The parametric design applied to the enclosure has provided the capacity to generate a controlled distribution of slats, choosing the density and position of each one in the frames, and obtaining a unique design for each frame. Together with the parametric design, the BIM methodology has been used, ensuring that each element has the necessary properties to enable its prefabrication, saving costs, materials, and time in the construction of the pavilion. Thanks to these processes, the waste generated, the work carried out and the transport of materials have been reduced, saving large amounts of CO2 and energy.
Àgora València by Miguel Arraiz + Arqueha. Photograph by Alejandro Gómez Vives.
Àgora València is also a space designed following thermal comfort strategies. Its design takes into account climatic variables such as air circulation and solar radiation and has a direct influence on improving the feeling of comfort with the rest of the square. The solar protection formed by the skin of vertical louvres reduces the amount of solar radiation from the east and west, while the wooden roof acts similarly with the light coming from the south, allowing in any case the natural ventilation of the building. The sum of the solar protection and the ventilation reduces the comfort temperature inside the pavilion by up to 10 degrees compared to any other point in the square, and all this without any energy input and therefore with zero CO2 emissions.
The building is covered with a skin developed by the companies Inalco and Wandegar from pieces of MDI placed perpendicularly on the façade to filter the light as the hours go by. Light has been treated as just another construction material, and other elements such as the aesthetically powerful upper roof also contribute to this. The piece of wickerwork that tops the pavilion is made by Manolo García, a master carpenter and Fallas artist who returns to the square where he has so often planted his creations. This element simulates the waves of the Mediterranean Sea about the city as a historical point of union between different cultures.
