We present a project carried out in the Germplasm Bank – CIAT in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, where architecture, air conditioning, refrigeration and bioclimatic are mixed.
by Gloria Elena Molina Vélez*
What is CIAT? The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) is an international scientific organization headquartered in the city of Palmira, 17 kilometers from Cali, Colombia, with an area of 500 hectares. CIAT's mission is to reduce hunger and poverty and improve human nutrition in the tropics through research that increases eco-efficiency in agriculture. To achieve this, CIAT has approximately 200 scientists from around the world. These researchers work in collaboration with hundreds of partner institutions with the support of a wide range of donors. The Board of Directors oversees the research and financial management of the Centre.
CIAT has around 200 scientists and other knowledge-generating professionals. They work in the light of three strategic objectives: to generate food availability, to improve incomes and to generate competitiveness in the rural and urban population of scarce resources. It is at this point that the links and relationship strategies between CIAT and the population take on special relevance, since it is the joint constructions that facilitate the fulfillment of the strategic objectives.
An exhibition scenario such as the one proposed is an opportunity for CIAT to strengthen ties with communities, allowing the population access to devices, programs and educational activities that favor the staging and contextualized use of the knowledge generated by the institution's scientists.
Based on the above and taking into account that CIAT's mission is the reduction of hunger and poverty and the improvement of human nutrition in the tropics through research that increases eco-efficiency in agriculture, science centers and, in general, exhibition scenarios can be a useful strategy for the fulfillment of the general purpose of CIAT, since they recognize the cultural, economic and social diversity of communities, promote the principles of democratic access to information and knowledge, and contribute to strengthening the culture in TC in the country through educational programs and activities.
Figure 1. General location of CIAT and the new Germplasm Bank. Palmira - Valley – Colombia.
Architecture
Objective and scope: The new project of the Germplasm Bank was born as an exhibition scenario for CIAT, it is then thought as a strategy where there are open conversations between researchers, public officials, entrepreneurs and citizens in favor of a joint production of knowledge that enables social development.
For this purpose, CIAT held a competition for architectural and technical design where the office of Alejandro Echeverri + Valencia de Medellín was favored.
The new Germplasm Bank arises from the need of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture to develop the new space in which the study of the planet's food security will take place; undoubtedly a topic of special importance at a time when climate change threatens our livelihood and that of our planet. With the aim of making more than a functional building and of giving an assertive response to the particular demands of the center, a building is proposed whose energy efficiency and environmental commitment were the best legacy that CIAT could leave of its research work; a living sample of how to occupy the territory minimizing the impacts, to coexist with nature and take advantage of its logics of balance. Based on this commitment, it seeks to build a place for the geography and the particular climate of Valle del Cauca, where its architecture and spaces respond to an objective of intelligent and sustainable innovation; a space in which to work becomes a memorable habit and visiting it in a living pedagogical experience.
The founding idea of the architecture of the project is a response to the warm humid climate of this geographical region, it is proposed to use the principle of the Double Skin, with the construction of a canopy or artificial shade that embraces the areas of exchange and collaborative work, the pedagogical exhibition spaces, resting places and contemplation of the surrounding agricultural landscape. The protection of the double skin against the incidence of direct solar radiation translates into considerable energy savings in addition to creating a cool microclimate, which together with the predominant presence of vegetation, an adequate orientation of the building, its arrangement raised from the ground to favor natural ventilation and the proper use of renewable sources in situ, they supply the energy needs of the whole; undoubtedly a key strategy for the achievement of its main sustainability goals (Net Zero / Carbon Neutral / Living Building Challenge); challenges so far to explore by buildings in the context of Latin America.
Components of the Architectural Project
The architectural project is a complex made up of 4 components:
• Elevated platform
• Landscape
• Containers – laboratories
• Tropical shade canopy
Bioclimatics
The bioclimatic and energy studies carried out by Green Loop aimed to determine the microclimate conditions under the canopy of the CIAT project. This with the aim of optimizing the geometry of the building, the materiality and other associated strategies to achieve thermal comfort in an open space "unconditioned" such as the one that has been projected for this project.
He also developed specific analyses of energy transmission and materiality in order to determine the best envelope specification and associated geometry to maximize its energy performance. This is done in order to minimize the energy consumption of the laboratory and make it possible for the project to aspire to be Net-Zero, as requested by the Living Building Challenge certification.
In order to obtain the most reliable results possible, a specific EPW climatological file has been generated, correcting the wind speed and adjusting the behavior patterns to the current conditions recorded at Palmyra airport. This report is divided into several (15) chapters, covering the following topics:
1. Solar performance (geometric analysis).
2. Outdoor CFD – To determine wind behavior patterns in unconditioned open spaces.
3. Dynamic thermal simulations in open spaces (focused on a single open space due to time constraints).
4. Internal CFD – To determine microclimate conditions.
5. Geometry adjustment, openings and envelope design
Air Conditioning – Dehumidification and Mechanical Ventilation
• Air conditioning to provide temperature and humidity controlled conditions
• Dehumidification to maintain conditions in spaces that require low relative humidity.
• Mechanical ventilation system for extraction of bathrooms and laboratories
The CIAT project will have laboratory buildings with special temperature and relative humidity conditions, and an administrative or office building. In the case of laboratory buildings, which have spaces with special temperature and humidity conditions, an air conditioning system with cooling and dehumidification is required to meet these conditions.
The project will be conditioned using an air condensation cold water system composed of a cold production plant, a cold water distribution system and an air distribution system. The air distribution system is composed of a system of active cold beams, variable volume air handling units, constant volume air handling units, heat recovery system and extraction systems for pressure management within the laboratories
Dust Extraction System
The adoption of preventive techniques, such as Industrial Hygiene, presents an ideal formula to control the inevitable presence of risks associated with production processes, limiting exposure levels and thereby preserving the health of the worker and the integrity of machines and physical plant.
Within operational hygiene, industrial ventilation techniques, thanks to their ability to control emissions of polluting sources, the control of the concentration of these in the propagation medium and in the environment of an individual, are one of the most widely used alternatives and the most effective for these purposes.
The Germplasm Bank has in its seed conservation laboratory several processes and / or equipment, such as shellers, threshers, mills, and venters, which generate particulate matter, smoke, gases, and vapors during their operation that can be incorporated into the ambient air, with the risk that they may have irritating, corrosive, suffocating or toxic effects generating the possibility of affecting the health of the people who work in them.
For this reason, the design of extraction systems was required that, in addition to promoting the improvement of work areas, allow us to control the emissions of these polluting materials directly to the environment.
The objective is to design a control system that captures these gases as close as possible to the emission source, then transport it through ducts to a cartridge filter where the pollutant will be separated from the air stream and then be expelled through the chimney to the outside. In this way it contributes to the prevention of occupational risks and be friendly to the environment.
Refrigeration
The Germplasm Bank has refrigerated spaces where the seeds are preserved. The refrigerated system includes the cold rooms, and all its door systems, refrigeration equipment, refrigerant pipe networks, electrical power and control system. The design of the system was made considering the constructive certifications for the Leed Platinum qualification, and Living Building Challenge (LBC), ensuring procedures and materials that ensure a useful life of the project of 50 years.
The objective is to determine the guidelines of the Cold Room System for the development of the refrigeration design. The refrigeration system designed comprises: cold room construction, refrigeration equipment, piping and control systems. The degree of specification of the information includes: Design calculation model. Selection of the elements, procedures of the construction method.
Scope
• Analysis of feed information (Input Data) for the design of the Germplasm Bank with 7 zones of different temperatures.
• Diagnosis of the Client's Need. This analysis is based on information submitted by CIAT. In this step the system is analyzed from the point of view: Environmental (which refrigerant to use), energy (Which control and compression technology to use), Heat transfer (Technology in evaporation), durability (Technology and design applied to the construction of long-lasting cold rooms), Operation and maintenance (Technology easy to operate and maintain).
• Definition of Requirements: both in equipment, in cold room and in networks.
Methodology
The work is based on the science of Thermodynamics, and Fluid Mechanics. Based on this, the following steps and descriptions underpin the theoretical framework:
1. Calculation of Thermal Loads: based on the laws of thermodynamics, and the principles of Heat Transfer, the thermal load of each Refrigerated space is calculated under 4 points of view: Heat by transmission, Heat by Infiltration, Heat of products, and Heat by Miscellaneous loads.
2. Refrigeration System Selection. Based on the calculations of thermal load, and according to the coefficients of operation, availability of available equipment technology, approximate operating costs, complexity of the operation, reliability of the system, limits of the required constructive certifications, we proceed to define the selection of the Refrigeration system that includes: Selection of the Refrigeration principle, Selection of the Refrigerant, selection of the compression equipment, selection of evaporation equipment.
3. Selection of the elements for the construction of the Cold rooms. We proceed to the analysis of the physical variables required within each space, and the construction methodology of each Refrigerated space is defined according to the specification of the materials. Each material obeys technical characteristics that must meet the conditions required in the calculation of thermal loads, and the supplier of the material defines its conditions.
4. Development of the procedures for Assembly of the cooling system and the Cold rooms. Following the conditions for the installation of each material, equipment and component of the system, the procedure for these tasks to be executed is defined.
* The architect Gloria Elena Molina Vélez graduated from the National University of Medellín, with a specialization in Urban Design from the same university. With experience in the development of architecture for teaching and research, with emphasis on laboratories for research. He has developed projects from the coordination of existing conditions with future variables, through the articulation of technical designs to the commissioning, as a proactive channel in the idea always of materializing the ideas that emanate from the team discussions.
Email: [email protected]
Credits
- Germplasm Bank – C.I.A.T
- Palmyra, Colombia
- Client: Tropical Agriculture Research Center – CIAT
- Year: 2015
- Area: 11746 m²
- Program: INSTITUTIONAL
- Architectural Design: AE+V – Alejandro Echeverri + Valencia Arquitectos - Medellín, Colombia
- Architects: Alejandro Echeverri, Guillermo Valencia.
- Team: Lina Botero, Daniel Valencia, María Eugenia Gamarra, Alexander Silva, Lina Gil, María Camila Vélez, Sebastián Rosas, Alejandro López, Sergio Longas, Gloria Molina, Camilo Toro.
- Collaborators: Arthur Lecoufle, Manuela Uribe.
- Contact: AE+V Guillermo Valencia
- Calle 5G # 32 - 103, Of. 604 - Medellin - Colombia
- Phone: (574) 312 12 11
- Office cell phone: (57) 3183227879
- [email protected]
Technical Advisors
• ARUP - Technical Consultants
• GreenLoop - Bioclimatic Design
• José Tobar and CIA - Air conditioning design
• Constructive energy - Electrical design
• Hidro F Salinas - Hydrosanitary design and fire network
• Triangle - Structural design
• Row technology -Automation
• Landscaping - Landscaping
• Fasst Lighting
• Alma ingeniería - Soil study
• Symmetrical - Metal structure design
• PVG - Acoustic design and ergonomics consultancy
• Thermal - Cava design
• Moreno Molina Ing - Geometric track design
• Green Ideas Group -Irrigation network design
• Comprehensive support - Budget
• Lotus engineering - Site scheduling and specifications
• Dicongas -Gas network
• Biotécnicos S.A - Vacuum network
• Fire Marshal - Human Security
• CESI - Lifelines
• CEGMENT - Floors and pavements
• GKL engineering - Dust extraction
• Flores Valles - Laboratory Furniture
• Lab Brands - Laboratory Furniture
• LaForet - Scientific Street Furniture
• Gloria Molina, Architect - Laboratory Advisor - Technical Management
Certifications to which they aspire:
In order to incorporate strategies of high sustainable requirement and have a verification by a third party, it is seeking to obtain LEED and LBC certifications.
