A time capsule: Co-designing the green energy transition in Sweden
An artifact created for the Venice Biennale 2023: Students as Researchers
Background
Architecture and design play a crucial role in the current energy transition. On one hand, a sound and aware architecture design process can greatly reduce the embodied and operational energy of our living space while, on the other hand, users’ experience and behaviour must be considered to ensure their engagement and wellbeing.
We used this approach as a starting point for our submission to the Biennale. Our artifact displays the results of two combined courses in architecture and design, which were included as part of an ongoing research project (Nordic Innovative Living) at LTU funded by the SwedishEnergyAgency.
The project's vision was a smart home where people live in symbiosis with the surrounding nature and use attractive solutions for a zero-climate footprint. The goal was to co-design a future model for smart homes built in Swedish Lapland, with smart solutions and services for effective and lasting behavioural changes and, through this, to spread knowledge about how people of different ages, abilities, social strata and gender can live more sustainably.
The project/course used a trans-disciplinary and co-creative design approach to explore people's behaviour with, and barriers to, smart energy technology. The students of architecture and design cooperated in creating solutions for sustainable housing and living in and through the co-creation of a smart home.
Our artifact collects a selection of proposals developed by students involved in this project/course. It takes the form of an archival storage drawer unit, where the work of the students is stored, presented, and shared with the public. A reference for this concept is the exhibition "A is for Archive" at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, which exhibits the contents of Warhol’s so-called time capsules. Similarly, the artifact will embody this concept to offer the visitors an interpretation on how the future sustainable living could look like.
Ideation
The project began with a proposal and the set dimensions as the only parameters the group had to work with. Inspired by Andy Warhol’s time capsules, and the simplicity of Scandinavian design — the group initiated the idea with an ecological development process in mind. Showcasing the collaborative project aimed at creating our sustainable future through industrial design and architecture, the group now stood the challenge of composing an artifact presenting these projects, while still attempting to create a container which inspires.
The idea boiled down to communicating how the future would look like, and how the students of today will sculpt the world of a sustainable tomorrow. The projects, having multiple common factors such as circularity, energy positive and changing lifestyles through behavioural design, were key elements in understanding the message we try to convey with our artifact. We do not wish to spark discussion or pass judgment — we only want to inspire. To maintain focus on the contents of the container, the group decided to explore shapes of simple, and functional forms.
The Homestead
In this time of costly electrical bills and environmental discourse, we need an easy and reliable way to save energy. A product that fits naturally in the home environment and helps you to easily see and control your energy usage in real-time. Today we are introducing Homestead,
the energy-saving solution for environmentally conscious homeowners. When a room in your house consumes energy, the corresponding segment on your Homestead will light up. The brighter the light, the more power that room uses. And if a room has been using energy for a while, the color will slowly change from a warm yellow to a red warning light. This change is based on the total amount of kilowatts used by the room.
But how does Homestead create a more sustainable lifestyle? Research has shown that real-time information can help change behaviour, whether people are aware of it or not. And by making environmentally-friendly options the default, we can encourage sustainable habits. Social norms also have a big impact on nudging a more sustainable lifestyle, and that’s why we’ve designed Homestead to be a neighborhood-wide solution. Homestead is constructed with recycled Soda-Lime glass and features a frosted, sandblasted finish. The base plate is made of FSC-marked locally grown wood, and energy-efficient RGB LED lights it up. And because Homestead is powered by a cord instead of batteries, it requires minimal maintenance.
In addition to the information provided by Homestead, we’ve also created an accompanying app that offers more functions for customers who are interested in statistics and want more functions. On the homepage, you can see your current energy usage and a 3D model of your Homestead that lights up in real-time. And with the main off-switch featured on the homepage, it’s easy to turn off everything when you’re leaving the house. The app also allows for remote control, so you can turn off anything you may have forgotten from anywhere. But to en-courage sustainable habits, the app does not allow you to turn on outlets. The app can also access information about your current energy prices and view statistics on your energy usage over time.
To make sustainable living even more fun, we’ve included a gamification element in the app. You can see your energy usage compared to others in your neighborhood and earn achievements for saving energy in various ways. This will be a great way to stay motivated and make a positive impact. So by giving you real-time feedback that's easy to comprehend, in a look that fits naturally into your home environment, we’re confident that Homestead will help you live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Sävast Keep
Sävast keep is a plus energy extended family home. Located in the community of Sävast outside of Boden, Norrbotten we find this contemporary house at the end of a cul-de-sac. This villa consists of a main house with a courtyard design and features an attached one bedroom apartment. The house has 6 bedrooms nicely separating the kids bedrooms from the master. The house also has 3 bathrooms spaced evenly through the layout.
Being designated a plus-energy house the building generates all of its energy from 100 m2 of solar panels on the southern roof. Being located north of a park the house receives ample sunlight for the enjoyment of the owner. The construction closely follows the principles of bioclimatic design and has extensive architectural details that aid the building in both comfort and performance. Finally this house uses simple shapes and concepts to deliver a powerful experience.
Villa Stjärnfall
Villa Stjärnfall is a project designed almost entirely through the concept of Plus-energy in northern Sweden. It is influenced by the classic A-frame house with the sloped roof connecting with the foundation in order to be able to collect snow as a natural insulator.
The Villa’s low energy usage comes from its passive-house-like, thick construction layers and is sustained by the integrated solar panels on the roof. The in-built greenhouse is designed to inspire a more sustainable lifestyle by the usage of home-grown food.
Vinkeln
Built on the idea of living together with three generations and ultimately reducing loneliness in the elderly population. Scandinavians are quite individualistic and so we wanted to create a combination of the typical nuclear and extended family.The greenhouse was placed in between
the two houses as a natural link between them and subsequently the two families. The idea of the greenhouse is to act as a neutral living space connecting the families while still giving them their privacy. The children,when they are grown up and the grandparents have moved out,can utilize the smaller house to gain more independence from their parents.
For the circularity we focused mainly on using prefabricated modules that could easily be replaced or refurbished both in this project or repurpose it into a similar project. For this we used a grid system so that every wall, windows, doors and floors can be swapped out,easily assembled and moved to another spot/site. Due to its modularity the house can be split or changed to suit the families needs.
Students and researchers
- Linus Heierhoff
- Mohammad Raad
- Oliver Rékard
- Alva Ringstedt
- Linn Sundström
- Emil Ohlen
- dr. Andrea Luciani (examiner, architecture)
- prof. Åsa Wikberg-Nilsson (examiner, design)
- prof. Agatino Rizzo (Students as Researchers project leader)
Contact
Agatino Rizzo
- Professor and Head of Subject
- 0920-493438
- agatino.rizzo@ltu.se
- Agatino Rizzo
Åsa Wikberg-Nilsson
- Professor and Head of Subject, Head of subject, Distinguished University Teacher
- 0920-491342
- asa.wikberg-nilsson@ltu.se
- Åsa Wikberg-Nilsson
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