When building skyscrapers, Real Estate has to constantly deal with social, economical and political issues. Nowadays the market calls for a less conflicting and more profitable development niche, until now especially limited by livability and psychological constrains coming from the absence of natural light: underground architecture.
Hypogeal spaces can tackle congestion, lack of open public space and aging infrastructures, exponentially increasing urban design opportunities to populate the “volume” contained by an over exploited earth surface.
Underground can limit visual impact and promote efficient land use in a noise and vibration-free environment, reducing energy costs by heat loss and daily temperature fluctuations control.
Until now the discomfort caused by sky and sun deprivation consents hypogeal architecture only where protection from harsh climate conditions and natural disasters counts more than discomfort.
SkyCoat recreates underground the experience of natural light, obtained through the complementary presence of direct sun and diffused sky light. Disadvantages and negative psychological reactions of hypogeal architecture, are blown away by the possibility of reproducing the sun and the sky many meters under the earth surface, and opens new and unexplored territory to real estate investors, architecture and lighting designers and to the public.
SkyCoat lighting technologies - based on nano-structured dichroic materials - may be used in diffusion and reflection modality to enlighten offices, houses, shops, public spaces but also in exterior settings, to reflect the warm sun light and scatter the complementary cold sky component, so reshaping skyscrapers silhouette and making concrete walls disappear replaced by a blue sky.
Contacts:
Co-ordinating Institution:
Università degli Studi dell’Insubria
Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia
Via Valleggio 11, 22100 COMO (I)
Project Co-ordinator:
Paolo Di Trapani
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+39 031 2386225