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Accademic Year 2018/2019

Politecnico di Milano School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering

Architecture - Building Architecture

DATA-CENTER

A Sustainable and High-Tec Cultural Data-Center in Alexandria

EGYPT Supervisor:

Professor Maria Grazia Folli Professors:

Professor Corrado Pecora Professor Giovanni Dotelli Professor Francesco Romano Professor Lavinia Chiara Tagliabue

Student:

895660 Parinaz Keramati

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ABSTRACT

ITALIANO

L'edificio si trova ad Alessandria d'Egitto e consiste in spazi dedicati dedicato a un data center, un museo dedicato alla cultura egiziana e un centro di ricerca. L'elemento architettonico ha lo scopo di realizzare un monumento che rappresenta il territorio della città d'Alessandria, accogliendone le esigenze e le esigenze attuali e future. Tale scopo è voluto intraprendere tramite la ricerca di quai caratteri con cui intende identificare l'edificio. Inoltre la progettazione ha previsto l'interazione di diversi campi propri di un progetto architettonico. E quindi il progetto ha previsto l'interazione tra la composizione architettonica, la scelta e l'applicazione dei materiali, lo studio della struttura integrata. Tutto ciò tramite il supporto della progettazione BIM e uno studio degli impianti. La parola chiave che ha guidato l'edificio è la sostenibilità dal punto di vista architettonico e realizzativo compatibile con ciò che cambia attraverso la città d’Alessandria.

ENGLISH

The building is located in Alexandria, Egypt and consists of spaces dedicated to a data center, a museum dedicated to international cultures and a research center. The architectural element has the purpose of creating a monument that represents the territory of the city of Alexandria, welcoming its current and future needs and requirements. This purpose is intended to be carried out by searching for those characters with which it intends to identify the building. Furthermore, the design involved the interaction of different fields of an architectural project. And so the project involved the interaction between the architectural composition, the choice and application of materials, the study of the integrated structure. All this through the support of BIM design and a study of the systems. The key word that guided the building is sustainability from an architectural and constructional point of view compatible with the needs of Alexandria.

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INDEX

INDEX ................................................................................................................ 5

1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 13

2. ARCHITECTURE ......................................................................................... 18

2.1 Identification of the Project Theme ........................................................ 18

2.2 Identification of the Context ................................................................... 19

2.2.1 Environmental and Social Context ................................................. 20

2.2.2 Cultural Reference ......................................................................... 22

2.3 Identification of the Project Characters ................................................. 29

2.3.1 Why Alexandria ............................................................................... 31

2.3.2 Why the Desertic Site ..................................................................... 36

2.3.3 Why a Tall Building ......................................................................... 38

2.3.4 Sustainability ................................................................................... 40

2.3.5 Final Project Actions and Goals ...................................................... 40

2.4 The Tall Building .................................................................................... 42

2.4.1 Functional Description .................................................................... 42

2.4.2 Architectural Composition ............................................................... 45

3. STRUCTURE ............................................................................................... 47

3.1 Structural Description ............................................................................ 47

3.2 Loads on Beams ................................................................................... 51

3.2.1 Roof Slab ....................................................................................... 51

3.2.2 Roof Slab Calculations ................................................................... 52

3.2.3 Intermediate Slab ........................................................................... 55

3.2.4 Intermediate Slab Calculations ...................................................... 56

3.3 Secondary Beam ................................................................................... 60

3.3.1 Permanent Structural Load ............................................................ 60

3.3.2 Permanent Non Structural Load..................................................... 60

3.3.3 Variable Load ................................................................................. 60

3.3.4 Steel and Reinforced Concrete ...................................................... 60

3.3.5 Uls and Secondary Beam .............................................................. 61

3.3.6 Height Calculation .......................................................................... 62

3.3.7 Width Calculation ........................................................................... 62

3.3.8 Rebars Calculation ......................................................................... 62

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3.3.9 Concrete Calculation ...................................................................... 63

3.3.10 Straight Bending Verification ........................................................ 64

3.3.11 Shear Verification ........................................................................... 64

3.3.12 Secondary Beam Conclusion ......................................................... 65

3.4 Calculation for Primary Beam................................................................ 66

3.4.1 Permanent Structural Load ............................................................ 66

3.4.2 Permanent Non Structural Load..................................................... 66

3.4.3 Variable Load ................................................................................. 66

3.4.4 Steel and Reinforced Concrete ...................................................... 67

3.4.5 Uls and Primary Beam ................................................................... 67

3.4.6 Height Calculation .......................................................................... 68

3.4.7 Width Calculation ........................................................................... 68

3.4.8 Rebars Calculation ......................................................................... 69

3.4.9 Concrete Calculation ...................................................................... 70

3.4.10 Straight Bending Verification .......................................................... 70

3.4.11 Shear Verification ........................................................................... 71

3.4.12 Primary Beam Conclusion ............................................................. 71

3.5 Column .................................................................................................. 72

3.5.1 Permanent Structural Load ............................................................ 73

3.5.2 Permanent Non Structural Load..................................................... 73

3.5.3 Variable Load ................................................................................. 73

3.5.4 Steel and Reinforced Concrete ...................................................... 73

3.5.5 Uls and Column ............................................................................. 73

(section sizing in accord with vertical forces) ............................................. 73

3.5.6 Column Section.............................................................................. 74

(sizing in accord with horizontal wind force) ............................................... 74

3.5.7 Width Calculation ........................................................................... 77

3.5.8 Column Rebars Calculation ........................................................... 77

3.5.9 Verification ..................................................................................... 79

3.5.10 Slenderness ................................................................................... 79

3.5.11 Column Conclusion ........................................................................ 80

3.6 Structural Design Resolution ................................................................. 81

3.7 Midas .................................................................................................... 82

4. MATERIALS : INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY ................................. 88

4.1 Material and Sustainability .................................................................... 89

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4.2 Glass Fiber reinforced Concrete ........................................................... 90

4.3 3D Printed Sand .................................................................................... 92

4.4 Acrylic ................................................................................................... 93

4.5 Interior Wall ........................................................................................... 94

4.6 Horizontal Enclosure Material ............................................................... 95

4.7 General Overview ................................................................................. 96

5. BUILDING SERVICES ................................................................................. 98

5.1 Data Center Design ............................................................................... 99

5.1.1 Data Center Design Characters ..................................................... 99

5.1.2 Data Center Power .......................................................................... 101

5.2 Winter Load ......................................................................................... 102

5.2.1 Transmittance ................................................................................. 103

5.2.2 Surface Transmittance .................................................................... 106

5.2.3 Thermal Bridge Transmittance ..................................................... 108

5.2.4 Ventilation Transmittance ............................................................ 110

5.2.5 Total Winter Load ......................................................................... 111

5.3 Summer Load...................................................................................... 112

5.3.1 Summer Load Calculation ............................................................ 112

5.3.2 Total Summer Load ..................................................................... 115

5.4 Heat Pump and HVAC System ........................................................... 115

5.4.1 Heat Pump ................................................................................... 115

5.4.2 Flow Rate from the Heat Pump .................................................... 116

5.5 Building Energy Demand .................................................................... 117

5.6 Wind and Photovoltaic Power ............................................................. 118

5.6.1 Wind Energy ................................................................................ 119

5.6.2 Photovoltaic Power ...................................................................... 122

5.7 Bathroom Design ................................................................................ 126

5.7.1 Water Supply System .................................................................. 126

5.7.2 Black Water ................................................................................. 127

5.7.3 Grey Water .................................................................................. 128

5.7.4 Bathroom Drawing ....................................................................... 129

6. BIM ............................................................................................................. 132

6.1 Bim Process ........................................................................................ 132

6.1.1 Revit ............................................................................................. 132

6.1.2 Ladybug & Honeybee .................................................................. 133

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6.1.3 Rhinoceros ................................................................................... 137

6.1.4 One Click LCA ............................................................................. 138

6.1.5 Midas ........................................................................................... 141

6.2 LEED ................................................................................................... 142

6.2.1 LEED Credits Description ............................................................. 142

6.2.2 LEED Checklist ............................................................................ 154

7. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 156

8. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................. 157

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 158

10. FIGURES REFERENCE .......................................................................... 158

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PICTURES, CHARTS, GRAPHICS INDEX

Figure 1 Map of Alexandria with the main urbanistic elements .................................. 21

Figure 2 Deir El Bahri temple complex. ..................................................................... 25

Figure 3 Pyramid complex of Amenemhat III or Dashur Pyramid complex. ............... 26

Figure 4 Amun-Ra at Karnak Temple. ....................................................................... 27

Figure 5 Lighthouse of Alexandria, illustration ........................................................... 28

Figure 6 Growth in the 19th and early 20th century. .................................................. 30

Figure 7 Structure and land use conditions in 1983................................................... 30

Figure 8 Squatter settlements in Alexandria (2004) .................................................. 32

Figure 9 Map of Unplanned and squatter settlements Areas in Alexandria. .............. 33

Figure 10 Touristic Housing in Alexandria. ................................................................ 34

Figure 11 The State of the Environment in Alexandria. ............................................. 35

Figure 12 Transportation network in Alexandria ........................................................ 36

Figure 13 The site area is between new El Alamein and Alexandria. ........................ 37

Figure 14 Kircher’s vision of the Tower of Babel. Picture from his book Turris Babel,

1679 ........................................................................................................................... 39

Figure 15 Problems and studio/final actions table. .................................................... 41

Figure 16 The first main structural grid with an interval of 10 meters. ........................ 48

Figure 17 The second main structural grid with an interval of 10 meters. .................. 49

Figure 18 Main reference lines. ................................................................................. 50

Figure 19 Roof slab layers. ....................................................................................... 51

Figure 20 Intermediate slab layers. ........................................................................... 55

Figure 21 Load area on one secondary beam. .......................................................... 60

Figure 22 Loads scheme considered for secondary beam. ....................................... 61

Figure 23 Rebars table. ............................................................................................ 63

Figure 24 Secondary beam section. .......................................................................... 65

Figure 25 Load area on one primary beam. .............................................................. 66

Figure 26 Loads scheme considered for primary beam. ............................................ 68

Figure 27 Rebars table. ............................................................................................ 69

Figure 28 Primary beam section. .............................................................................. 72

Figure 29 Load area on one column. ........................................................................ 72

Figure 30 Scheme considered for the wind on the column. ....................................... 76

Figure 31 Rebars table. ............................................................................................ 78

Figure 32 Column section. ........................................................................................ 80

Figure 33 From the left to the right: primary beam section, secondary beam section,

column section. ........................................................................................................... 81

Figure 34 A part of the Midas model in Hidden Geometry mode. .............................. 82

Figure 35 Columns Section. ...................................................................................... 83

Figure 36 Diagrid section. ......................................................................................... 84

Figure 37 Steel Code checking Result Ratio. (Combined)......................................... 84

Figure 38 Midas model, Z-displacement. .................................................................. 85

Figure 39 Midas model, a horizontal beam deformation. ........................................... 86

Figure 40 Columns scheme. ..................................................................................... 86

Figure 41 Buckling check. ......................................................................................... 87

Figure 42 Exterior walls façade concept. ................................................................... 90

Figure 43 A sample project where GFRC used for its façade. ................................... 91

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Figure 44 Spray-Up application. ................................................................................ 91

Figure 45 3D printed sand......................................................................................... 92

Figure 46 3D printing with sand material. .................................................................. 93

Figure 47 The underwater color of acrylic on the left and of glass on the right. ......... 94

Figure 48 Finite material cubes. ................................................................................ 94

Figure 49 Waffle slab. Art Gallery of New South Wales. ........................................... 95

Figure 50 General overview horizontal closure and transparent/opaque vertical

closure.. ...................................................................................................................... 97

Figure 51 2D picture for cabinet allocation in which 42 inches are equal to 106.68 cm,

3 feet is equal to 91.44, 4 feet is equal to 121.92 . .................................................... 100

Figure 52 3D picture about the ventilation system. .................................................. 100

Figure 53 Cabinet U standard ................................................................................. 101

Figure 54 Relation between diameter and slope. .................................................... 117

Figure 55 Wind turbine definitions. .......................................................................... 119

Figure 56 Alexandria wind direction. ....................................................................... 120

Figure 57 Alexandria wind direction. ....................................................................... 120

Figure 58 Alexandria wind speed. ........................................................................... 121

Figure 59 PVGIS input. ........................................................................................... 123

Figure 60 PVGIS output. ......................................................................................... 124

Figure 61 PVGIS, Monthly energy output from the fix-angle PV system. ................. 124

Figure 62 PVGIS, outline of horizon with the sun height in June and in December. 125

Figure 63 Water Supply System drawing. ............................................................... 130

Figure 64 Grey Water and Black Water drawing. .................................................... 130

Figure 65 Revit software logo. ................................................................................ 132

Figure 66 Ladybug & Honeybee logo. ..................................................................... 133

Figure 67 Exterior site temperature and most high site temperature value. ............. 134

Figure 68 Underground temperature, Grasshoper script. ........................................ 134

Figure 69 Ground temperature, Honeybee & Ladybug. ........................................... 135

Figure 70 Shadow analysis, Grasshopper script. .................................................... 135

Figure 71 Shadow analysis top view and global view, Honeybee & Ladybug. ......... 136

Figure 72 Wind analysis, Grasshoper script. ........................................................... 136

Figure 73 Wind rose on the left and wind drybulb temperature on the right, Honeybee

& Ladybug. ............................................................................................................... 137

Figure 74 Rhinoceros logo. ..................................................................................... 137

Figure 75 One Click LCA logo. ................................................................................ 138

Figure 76 Table 1. Provided by One Click LCA student version. ............................. 140

Figure 77 Table 2. Provided by One Click LCA student version. ............................. 141

Figure 78 MIDAS logo. ............................................................................................ 141

Figure 79 Types of LEED certification with highlighted certification that can be

reached with the project. ........................................................................................... 155

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PANELS INDEX

1 Research 2 Why Alexandria 3 Concept 4 Site Area Analysis 5 Site Plan 6 Underground and Landscape 7 Plans Typology 8 Plans Typology 9 Section 10 Perspective Section 11 Structural Calculations 12 Structure and Midas 13 Facade 14 Roof 15 Slab 16 Details 17 Details 18 Materials and Layers 19 Materials, Sustainability and Innnovation 20 Bim 21 Winter Load, Summer Load, Energy 22 Bathroom Calculations 23 HVAC Scheme

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1. INTRODUCTION

ITALIANO

Il progetto consiste nella progettazione di un edificio alto con al suo interno un data center, un museo e un'area di ricerca. Il progetto si inserisce all’interno di un'area desertica nel nord dell'Egitto, a sud di Alessandria. L'edificio ha richiesto lo sviluppo di temi specifici riguardanti il contesto, la composizione architettonica, i componenti strutturali, il metodo di progettazione con il BIM, i sistemi, i materiali utilizzati e la sostenibilità. Lo scopo del progetto era quello di soddisfare le esigenze del contesto di Alessandria. Dove per contesto non si intende solo come caratteristiche morfologiche e ambientali del territorio. In effetti, per contesto si intende tutti gli aspetti che contribuiscono all'attribuzione delle caratteristiche progettuali che intendiamo raggiungere. Ciò include quindi anche una fase di ricerca e analisi della cultura del territorio, dei suoi monumenti, delle caratteristiche sociali del territorio. Lo scopo in questo modo è proprio quello di inserire un elemento architettonico compatibile con l'attuale contesto di Alessandria e con una certa versatilità verso il futuro. Versatilità che consente possibili trasformazioni dell'elemento architettonico al fine di mantenere tutte le caratteristiche di essere un punto d'incontro per l'intero territorio. Il testo è un elemento descrittivo e illustrativo a supporto delle tabelle. Tutti i riferimenti, le spiegazioni e i calcoli che hanno contribuito alla completezza del progetto di tesi sono racchiusi in questo documento. Il testo è composto da cinque moduli. Ognuno di essi rappresenta un tema di progetto che hanno realizzato con lo studio e la pianificazione organizzati. Inoltre, ogni tema presenta collegamenti con altri temi in modo tale che uno sia complementare all'altro. Infatti, ad esempio, la struttura ha contribuito in particolare alla realizzazione della composizione architettonica, alcuni software BIM hanno sviluppato uno sviluppo dettagliato tridimensionale, la scelta dei materiali ha guidato la definizione dei dettagli e la loro coerenza con le scelte progettuali controllate. Il primo capitolo è stato intitolato architettura. È stato inserito come primo capitolo poiché è il filo costante sempre presente in ogni progetto. Senza architettura non esiste una costruzione antropologica. Il secondo capitolo è sostituito dalla parte relativa alla struttura. in particolare la sezione è divisa in due parti principali. il primo con i calcoli strutturati dei principali componenti strutturati come la trave secondaria, la trave primaria e il calcolo della sezione dei pilastri centrali. Questa parte ha permesso il dimensionamento dei singoli elementi identificando l'ingombro, la sezione del singolo elemento e la maglia strutturale. La seconda parte invece mette a sistema gli elementi calcolati. Data la complessità, si è usufruito del supporto di un software di calcolo strutturale chiamato Midas.

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Il terzo capitolo prende in considerazione la scelta dei materiali e i ruoli all'interno del progetto. In particolare, lo studio è focalizzato sulle relazioni che collegano materiali e sostenibilità. Questa componente costituisce un elemento fondamentale in grado di attribuire nuovi caratteri all'edificio. Il quarto capitolo riguarda i consumi significativi presenti nell'edificio, il calcolo dei costi termici invernali ed estivi, il calcolo e la distribuzione di acqua calda e fredda, il calcolo e la distribuzione di acque grigie e nere acqua, uno studio degli impianti. Questo capitolo dimostra come un edificio sia necessariamente correlato a requisiti funzionali che non possono essere trascurati. Sono parte integrante del design e il comfort interno e le analisi termiche rappresentano un risultato complessivo di tutte le scelte progettuali in termini di volumi e scelta dei materiali, orientando le scelte progettuali. Il quinto capitolo riguarda il mondo BIM e la certificazione LEED. Il BIM va oltre la pura modellazione tridimensionale tridimensionale. Tuttavia, ha costituito un elemento che ha accompagnato il progetto, contribuendo alle analisi relative alla certificazione LEED. Inoltre, le scelte progettuali a livello tecnico e progettuale per il raggiungimento del protocollo di sostenibilità sono illustrate punto per punto. Roger Scruton sulla bellezza afferma che “il lettore avrà notato che non ho detto cos'è la bellezza. Ho implicitamente rifiutato la visione neo-platonista della bellezza, come caratteristica dell'Essere stesso. ” [1] Allo stesso modo è possibile affermare che qualsiasi elemento architettonico ha caratteristiche intrinseche al singolo progetto. Per questo motivo si ritiene che il progetto definito non possa essere definito bello o brutto, ma come un elemento architettonico la cui unica linea guida era l'integrazione con l'attuale contesto ambientale, sociale e culturale di Alessandria con uno sguardo al futuro. I principali punti di riferimento erano il faro di Alessandria e l'antica biblioteca di Alessandria. Quindi il progetto vuole acuisire i caratteri monumentali che hanno identificato sia il faro di Alessandria che la vecchia biblioteca alessandrina. Per la città e i turisti. Non solo visivo ma anche identificando un oggetto, un elemento architettonico con caratteristiche specifiche e legato alle attuali esigenze del territorio. Dal secondo riferimento intendiamo riprendere le caratteristiche tipologiche della biblioteca alessandrina. Fatti è stato solo un punto in cui sono stati scritti i manuali. La biblioteca di Alessandria è stata anche un punto di contatto tra culture diverse, alla ricerca di nuovi prodotti e nuove tecnologie. Allo stesso modo, si vuole identificare le caratteristiche dell'edificio promuovendo la ricerca, il contatto tra culture e ricerche diverse.

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ENGLISH The project consists in the design of a tall building with its interior a data center, a museum and a research area. The project is part of a desert area in northern Egypt, south of Alexandria. The building required the development of specific themes concerning the context, the architectural composition, the structural components, the design method with the BIM, the systems, the materials used and sustainability. The aim of the project was to meet the needs of the context of Alexandria. As context is not meant only for morphological and environmental characteristics of the territory. In fact, by context we mean all the aspects that contribute to the attribution of the design features that we intend to achieve. This therefore also includes a phase of research and analysis of culture, monuments, social characteristics of the territory in which it is intended to operate. The aim in this way is precisely to insert an architectural element compatible with the current context of Alessandria and with a certain versatility towards the future. Versatility that allows possible transformations of the architectural element in order to maintain all the characteristics of being a meeting point for the whole territory. The text is a descriptive and illustrative element supporting the tables. All the references, explanations and calculations that contributed to the completeness of the thesis project are enclosed in this document. The text consists of five modules. Each of them represents a project theme that they have carried out with organized study and planning. Furthermore, each theme presents connections with other themes such that one is complementary to the other. In fact, for example, the structure has particularly contributed to the realization of the architectural composition, some BIM software have developed three-dimensional detailed development, the choice of materials has guided the definition of details and their coherence with the controlled design choices. The first chapter has been titled architecture. It has been placed as the first chapter since it is the constant thread that is always present in every project. Without architecture there is no anthropological construction. The second chapter is substituted by the part concerning the structure. in particular, the section divided into two main parts. The first with the structured calculations of the main structured components such as the secondary beam, the primary beam and the calculation of the section of the central columns. This part has allowed the dimensioning of the single elements identifying the encumbrance, the section of the single element and the structural mesh. The second part instead put a system on the calculated elements. The data concerning the complexity of particular importance were the support of a structural calculation software called Midas. The third chapter takes into consideration the choice of materials and the roles within the implementation. In particular, the study is focused on the relationships that link materials and sustainability. This component constitutes a fundamental element capable of attributing new characters to the building. The fourth chapter concerns the use of the significant consumption present in the building, the calculation of winter and summer thermal costs, the calculation and

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distribution of hot and cold water, the calculation and distribution of gray water and black water, a study of the services. This chapter demonstrates how a building necessarily correlates with functional requirements that cannot be overlooked. They are an integral part of the structured design on which internal comfort depends and thermal analyzes represent an overall result of all the design choices in terms of volumes and choice of materials, directing the design choices. The fifth chapter concerns the BIM world and the LEED certification. BIM is beyond pure three-dimensional two-dimensional modeling. However, it constituted an element that accompanied the project, contributing to the analyzes concerning the LEED certification. In addition, the design choices at the technical and design level for the achievement of the sustainability protocol are illustrated point by point. Roger Scruton about beauty says that “the reader will have noticed that I have not said what beauty is. I have implicitly rejected the neo-Platonist view of beauty, as a feature of Being itself.” [1] In the same way it is possible to affirm that any architectural element has intrinsic characteristics to the single project. It is believed that the defined project cannot be defined as beautiful or ugly, but as an architectural element whose only guideline was to integrate with the current environmental, social and cultural context of Alessandria with a look towards the future. The main points of reference were the lighthouse of Alexandria and the ancient library of Alexandria. The project wants to acquire those monumental characters that have identified both the lighthouse of Alexandria and the old Alexandrian library. From the first the fact of being a visual reference point for the city and tourists. Not only visual but also identifying an object, an architectural element with specific characteristics and linked exclusively to the current needs of the territory. From the second reference we intend to resume the typological characteristics of the Alexandrian library. Facts it was not just a point where manuals and writings of the scientists of the time were collected. The library of Alexandria was also a point of contact between different cultures, researching new products and new technologies. In the same way, indents to identify the characteristics of the building by promoting research, contact between different cultures and research.

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ARCHITECTURE

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2. ARCHITECTURE

2.1 Identification of the Project Theme

In our days, there are so many cultures, as a general meaning, which some of them are endanger, some are dominant, while some exist despite just a really small portion of people know about their existence. The most striking example of this is the country in which Egypt is located. Heart of one of the most advanced cultures in history and whose grandeur of this civilization is still visible today through various artifacts arranged along the Nile valley. Preserve the integrity of the forms and historical information deriving from these artifacts, expression of a national identity but also worldwide. In our project we want to not only preserve the endanger ones and keep their data, but also preserve the integrity of the forms and historical information deriving from these artifacts, expression of a national identity but also worldwide. The project is going to be presented on the theme of the tall building on strategic place of Egypt and want to constitute a new architectural type that want to link the past, with the present and the future, called “digital cultural center”.

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2.2 Identification of the Context

City heart of the promotion of technology and culture, we all know the location of the city and the Alexandrian library. This library had a double function. It was a place where texts were collected not only from Egypt but from the entire Mediterranean area and therefore carried out a character of gathering the knowledge of the time in a global way at the time and not localized. Secondly it was a place that promoted progress in all fields attracting scientists and scholars who saw in the library of Alexandria as a place where they could apply for a better future. Hence a place capable of collecting and enhancing the cultural knowledge of the Mediterranean basin, of Egypt and in the first place of the city itself. In this way the library in all its multiple functions constitutes an architectural element not only able to fit in with the cultural characteristics of the city, but also able to constitute a fulcrum of its evolution. In today's world communication is a fundamental element of globalization, but there is no place at a global level able to understand its roots and to offer analyzes and studies in this regard through a centralized body. How can architecture be a promoter of progress and be a reference architecture, not only for the country but also for the world? “Three qualities can be identified here to reflect on the visual aspects of the Egyptian built environment during the last two decades. These qualities are image ability, legibility, and identity.” [2] Egypt like other nations has a very strong identity that, however, is gradually starting to fade because of an increasingly influential openness of other cultures. Avoiding or revolutionizing processes of this kind would mean taking a too utopian path, but understanding the reasons and changes in progress is considered the most equitable and profitable way to deal with the topic included in the project that we intend to address. And the society clearly contributes to the identification of a context. After defining the context of the project, we must go into the subject in order to clarify what the aims of the project and the strategic are. The project intends to insert an architectural element able to dialogue with the territory in physical but also urbanistic terms. It intends to constitute an element that indirectly (data center) or directly (visitor) is given to the territory of Alexandria but also for all the world. Architectural element that can also be inserted at a global level (researcher) bringing development and progress not only in national territory but also internationally. The inclusion of the new architectural element must be made in accord with a new wise vision of Alexandria, one that would require negotiating many competing interests. It would need to settle longstanding conflicts between

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preservation and development, as historic preservation itself is undergoing a transformational and international redefinition. “The city is interested by the flows of millions of residents and of around three millions of visitors in the summer.” [3] “For a long time, historical preservation was seen primarily as an important end in itself, but in recent years, advocates have sought to defend preservation as a practice that serves a broader array of public interests. In 2010, for example, consult released a report showing that preservation projects in Pennsylvania had accounted for more than $1 billion of investments, 9,800 jobs, and $24 million in state tax revenue over a period of ten years. Preservation work had generated $660 million in investment, 2,800 jobs, and $6.6 million in tax revenue in Philadelphia alone, the report concluded” [4]. Although Alexandria has numerous monuments, “has not used any incentives to protect the important places that reflect the values of its residents. Alexandria should create a task force that would include preservationists, historians and architects, but also archaeologists, developers, attorneys, economists, planners and community representatives to develop such incentives.” [5]

2.2.1 Environmental and Social Context

“In 1981, when President Mubarak took over, a new era of socioeconomic and political readjustment programs began. As a consequence, informal areas grew. In 1992 terrorist attacks by radical Islamists drew attention to these areas as these groups used them as a refuge. In response, the government began a national program to upgrade these areas, which continued to the mid-1990s. At the end of this period the city started facing another threat, namely the demolition of significant buildings and the development of suburban areas around Lake Mariout.” [6] “During the past 15 years developments of second-home tourist villages on the north coast have gained momentum, besides the scheme to develop El Alamein City into a million-inhabitant city”. [7] “Since the beginning of the 21th century, several plans following the traditional approach to planning have been adopted by Alexandria, but these were inadequate to face the challenges. Thus, the city management adopted several sectorial projects aiming at improving one or several of the city’s development challenges. Although some of the projects were suggested in previous plans, it was mainly the governor who had to choose between many projects. This overall direction of projects was changed with the change of governors or with the change of ministers in Cairo who would be co-partners in the implementation of these projects.” [8] “The most recent plan for Alexandria is the participatory Strategic Urban Plan (SUP) for Alexandria City. It has a time horizon of 2032 and is being prepared through a partnership between the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP) and UNDP. This time the plan has adopted a strategic and participatory

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approach. The planning studies started in 2010 and end in 2018. It will develop an urban management strategy and guidelines to ensure sustainable long-term city development and direct the implementation of the proposed projects. The SUP has identified some priority areas that include: the master plan for the medical city, the area behind Carrefour, the Matar Lake area at the airport and the governorate’s informal areas. The plan seeks to improve the city’s connection with the new Borg El Arab industrial city. It also includes a detailed plan for the establishment of an Olympic City and the introduction of a Geographical Information System (GIS) as a monitoring and decisional making tool.” [9]

Figure 1 Map of Alexandria with the main urbanistic elements

Own production based on GOPP map

“Moreover, the development of the north coast might attract wealthy citizens and tourists away from Alexandria.” [10] “Mobility in the city is a major challenge as it is a linear city with a few streets mainly parallel to the sea, with a few others perpendicular to them. The existence of several barriers complicates things. The challenge is how to provide efficient mobility for the residents all year round and for three million summer visitors.” [11] Our new building plays an enormous role in the revitalization of Alexandria, nationally and internationally. The Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Center (Alex Med) has been established within the cultural center to document and implement research on the tangible and intangible heritage of Egypt and the Mediterranean and promote dialogue and exchange in the region. It seeks both to preserve the past and to promote the future development of the city of Alexandria by conducting research on its heritage and holding conferences and exhibitions. Choosing the site for this especial topic would certainly influence the legibility of the concept and idea. In addition, it can shape the missing identity in the border of the city. It should not compete with the authentic architecture of the center but to work and complement it. The progress of time, traditions languages and cultures are being lost. Egypt, like the rest of the world, is directed and continues to inexorably pursue the path of digitalization and globalization. This direction will lead to the change of generations and to an already existing loss of traditions, languages and cultures.

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Our project wants to avoid that with a new architectural type with characters that wat to join the moving of the time and the change of the society without lose the past. This can be achieved through three keywords: data, cultural preservation, research.

2.2.2 Cultural Reference

Hellenistic age

Hellenistic age, in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 bce and the conquest of Egypt by Rome in 30 bce. For some purposes the period is extended for a further three and a half centuries, to the move by Constantine the Great of his capital to Constantinople (Byzantium) in 330 ce. From the breakup of Alexander’s empire there arose numerous realms, including the Macedonian, the Seleucid, and the Ptolemaic, that served as the framework for the spread of Greek (Hellenic) culture, the mixture of Greek with other populations, and the fusion of Greek and Eastern elements. The three great areas of Hellenistic scholarship were medicine, astronomy, and mathematics

Alexandria during Hellenistic period

Once among the greatest cities of the Mediterranean world and a centre of Hellenic scholarship and science, Alexandria is also its principal seaport and a major industrial centre. Alexandria played an important role in preserving and transmitting Hellenic culture to the wider Mediterranean world and was a crucible of scholarship, piety, and ecclesiastical politics in early Christian history. July and in August, the hottest month, average temperature reaches (31 °C) January, coldest month, is (18 °C). Designed by Alexander’s personal architect, Dinocrates, the city incorporated the best in Hellenic planning and architecture. Within a century of its founding, its splendours rivaled anything known in the ancient world.

Hellenistic civilization THE GREAT CITIES

The greatest of Alexander’s foundations became the greatest city of the Hellenistic world, Alexandria-by-Egypt. It was laid out in the typical Hellenistic grid pattern along a narrow strip between Lake Mareotis and the sea. Canopic Way ran the length of the city, finely paved and nearly 100 feet (30 metres) wide, with seven or more main roads parallel to it. Across it was the shorter Transverse Street, with at least 10 parallel major roads. The city was divided into five regions, known as Alpha, Beta (the Palace area), Gamma, Delta (the Jewish quarter), and

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Epsilon. The great buildings included the palace, Alexander’s tomb, the temple of the Muses, the academy and library, the zoological gardens, the temple of Serapis, (The Serapeum at Alexandria was the largest and best known of the god’s temples.) the superb gymnasium, stadium, and racecourse, the theatre, and an artificial mound, the shrine of Pan, (Pan was generally represented as a vigorous and lustful figure having the horns, legs, and ears of a goat; in later art the human parts of his form were much more emphasized. Pan was insignificant in literature, aside from Hellenistic bucolic, but he was a very common subject in ancient art.) ascended by a spiral road. There were two harbours. The famous lighthouse lay on an offshore island. A canal to the Nile helped secure the water supply; there also were rainwater cisterns. The city wall was some 10 miles (16 km) long. It was a cosmopolitan city. The so-called Potter’s Oracle described the city as “a universal nurse, a city in which every human race has settled,” and Strabo called it “a universal reservoir.”

The great Seleucid capital Antioch on the Orontes stood safely some 11 miles (18 km) from the sea on a major trade route. Originally small, the grid plan with blocks roughly (120 metres) by (35 metres) was laid out from the first for the expansion over the plain, which eventually took place. A colonnaded street, in Roman times more than (27 metres) in width (about one-third carriageway and one-third for each sidewalk), ran the city’s length. .

Figure 1-A Hellenistic Civilization in Alexandria

Cultural developmentsARCHITECTURE

It was in the Hellenistic age that the grid plan came into its own, in the numerous new foundations, and some of the foundations, such as Priene. (Modern excavations have revealed one of the most beautiful examples of Greek town planning. The city’s remains lie on successive terraces that rise from a plain to a steep hill upon which stands the Temple of Athena Polias. Built by Pythius, probable architect of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the temple was recognized in ancient times as the classic example of the pure Ionic style. Priene

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is laid out on a grid plan, with 6 main streets running east-west and 15 streets crossing at right angles, all being evenly spaced. The town was thereby divided into about 80 blocks, or insulae, each averaging 150 by 110 feet (46 by 34 m). About 50 insulae are devoted to private houses; the better-class insulae had four houses apiece, but most were far more subdivided. In the centre of the town stand not only the Temple of Athena but an agora, a stoa, an assembly hall, and a theatre with well-preserved stage buildings. A gymnasium and stadium are in the lowest section. The private houses typically consisted of a rectangular courtyard enclosed by living quarters and storerooms and opening to the south onto the street by way of a small vestibule.)

Figure 1-B Canopic Way in Alexandria

Hellenistic Civilization, 3rd ed. (1952, reissued 1975)

The great buildings of the Classical age had been predominantly religious; those of the Hellenistic age were predominantly secular, though it will not do in the ancient world to make a rigid distinction between the two. The chief characteristic of Hellenistic temple architecture was the predilection for the Corinthian style, which came into its own with the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Athens, begun in 174 bce. Many Hellenistic temples were of immense size; this one is 135 feet (41 metres) by 354 feet (108 metres) on the stylobate. The oracular temple of Apollo at Didyma is 168 feet (51 metres) by 359 feet (109 metres) on the stylobate. Another colossal temple was built at Cyzicus in the 2nd century ce, with columns of more than 6.5 feet (2 metres) in diameter; it displaced the temple of Artemis at Ephesus as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

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The architecture inspired by the project refers to both the pyramids, imposing visual landmarks of ancient Egypt, and the most recent period in the history of Egypt. In addition to the pyramids, some inspiring references to the project date back to the Middle Kingdom. “The great architectural projects of the Middle Kingdom have largely disappeared under the reconstruction of the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom. Except for the temple of Mentuhotep in Deir el Bahari, the only two well-preserved monuments are buildings of modest proportions. “One of these is a small sanctuary of Sesostris I recently restored by Chevrier from blocks built in successive structures at Karnak. It was a small kiosk surrounded by square columns located on a high base, and served as a pavilion for the Heb Sed festival. Was decorated with very fine bas-reliefs.” [12] The characterizing elements are the grid that identifies the rows of columns and the ramp as an element that identifies it as the only important access to the building.

Figure 2 Deir El Bahri temple complex.

https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/

The complex of Amenemhat III has some peculiar characteristics. The complex is essentially composed of two components. The first is the massive one of a pyramid, here present almost as if it were a single element. The second is composed of the area in front. It looks like a series of square-shaped buildings placed side by side. Therefore, the former constitutes a well-defined element only, while the latter represents a series of juxtaposed architectural elements. However, there is a synergy that makes one part of the other.

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Figure 3 Pyramid complex of Amenemhat III or Dashur Pyramid complex.

https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/

Another reference used was the Karnak temple. It was carried out in different four sections: “south Karnak, with its temple of the goddess Mut; east Karnak, the location of a temple to the Aten; north Karnak, the site of the temple of the god Montu; and main/central Karnak, T with its temple to the god Amun-Ra.” [13] The complex must therefore consist of several phases, able to guarantee a whole. In the same way our project wants to be a building able to adapt over time and whose eventual transformations will not give up the monumental character that we intend to attribute.

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Figure 4 Amun-Ra at Karnak Temple.

https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/

The Late Period of Egypt is characterized the center of architectural

development and cultural signatures moves to alexandria of egypt. “Alexandria

became the impressive city Strabo praises during the time of the Ptolemaic

Dynasty (323 - 30 BCE). Ptolemy I (323 - 285 BCE) began the great Library of

Alexandria and the temple known as the Serapeum which was completed by

Ptolemy II (285 - 246 BCE) who also built the famous Pharos of Alexandria, the

great lighthouse which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.” [14]

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Figure 5 Lighthouse of Alexandria, illustration

https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/

The grandeur of the Alexandria Lighthouse and the Alexandria Library are two significant references. The first was a visual reference point for the landing of ships in port. Not to mention that the identification of the lighthouse allowed a direct connection with the city of Alexandria, its culture and its architectural characteristics. The Alexandria Library, on the other hand, was a reference thanks to the type of its functional spaces of sharing, learning and the place where scientists of the time could develop their studies. Another reference considered is the tower of Babel. The Tower “does not merely figure the irreducible multiplicity of tongues; it exhibits an incompletion, the impossibility of finishing, of totalizing, of saturating, of completing something on the order of edification, architectural construction, system and architectonics. What the multiplicity of idioms actually limits is not only a true translation, a transparent and adequate interexpression, it is also a structural order, a coherence of construct.” [15] The building therefore intends to take up again the concept of the tower of Babel where now the tall building wants to be a meeting and architectural elements not of one culture with one language, but open to all the languages and the cultures of the world. Finally, a linguistic-cultural reference is given. In fact, an important reference that has influenced the Alexandrian territory and that has influenced the modified characters, concerns the re-proposal of the Koinè language. It was a language of the late Roman Hellenistic period, spoken throughout the area of Greek influence.

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“ ‘Koiné’ has its origins in the Greek word koine ‘common’. In ancient Greece, the term ‘koiné’ applied to the Attic dialect that served as lingua franca.” [16] About Alexandria, it can be said that in the Alexandrian territory “new-comers become Alexandrines by acknowledgement of Koiné and Alexandria is rightfully declared a “melting-pot”.” [17] Alexandrian territory has deep roots in terms of the encounter between different cultures and the development of a language with high potential for communication in the Hellenistic world. It is possible to identify in Alexandria as a place that, due to cultural and architectural references, is more suited to the insertion of the building designed.

2.3 Identification of the Project Characters

The project required a study of the characters given by an analysis of society, urban and non-urban spaces and the connections between them. This is because at the design level “the architect determines how problems should be solved, not that he can determine which of the problems he will solve.” [18] To this end, an analysis of the urban development of the city of Alexandria, its open spaces and the measures taken by the Egyptian state authorities was deemed necessary. In order for Alexandria to address its future open space needs, it must first assess and confront current issues regarding the City’s existing open space resources. As discussed below, these include a lack of open space continuity and a lack of connection. Furthermore there is a diminishing availability of open space due to an expansion of the urban spaces. Consequently this increase the need for open space stewardship and protection, particularly with regard to natural areas. “After much discussion the Project Committee defined seven key policy and development issues to be addressed in the Master Plan of Alexandria. These were:

the growth in population; the deterioration of housing conditions; increasing land values and building costs the protection of agriculture land; the management of industrial expansion; the preservation of the historical

heritage; the control of environmental pollution and the erosion of beaches.” [19]

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Figure 6 Growth in the 19th and early 20th century.

Alexandria 2005 Comprehensive Plan, Final Report, January 1984 – Sketch by M. Montasser

Figure 7 Structure and land use conditions in 1983.

Alexandria 2005 Comprehensive Plan, Final Report, January 1984 – Sketch by M. Montasser

In this regard, the criteria for design purposes have been set which were deemed necessary for the development of a project consistent with the space in which it is inserted.

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The criteria are integrated mainly with the coherence between the site and the objectives and connections that may exist between the Alexandrian community and the building that it intends to develop. The criteria that have been focused with the project:

Schemes must have more than local applicability, for an idiosyncratic layout however well suited to the needs of a particular site or set of circumstances is unlikely to be of more than local interest;

Must be solution-oriented and related to existing rather than idealized circumstances;

Must be clearly related to the Alexandria community; Demonstrations of the use of local skills and resources; The recycling of resources whenever this is possible.

2.3.1 Why Alexandria

The site chosen for the insertion of the building is the result of a search for a close link between the architectural element and the context. The building you intend to insert is intended to be an element that contributes to the enhancement of the languages present in the world. Where languages means the close link between communication, culture and place. The only potential site was to be within the area of Alexandria. In fact Alexandria is a city where language and cultures have always found a meeting point, both in the past and in our days. “Alexandria’s importance is partly attributed to its strategic location on the Mediterranean Sea, which has earned it commercial and historical significance for centuries. Alexandria is one of the oldest cities in the world at the crossroads of Western and Arab cultural and commercial exchange. In recent years the Egyptian government was eager to revive this scientific and cultural institution in cooperation with many donor agencies. Consequently, the new library Bibliotheca Alexandria was built on the same site of the old library inland and the Qim (the old Royal district of the Greek and Roman civilization). By the time that commercial maritime activity reached its peak in the Mediterranean, the city had become a beacon of science, culture and civilization keeping its significance for more than seven centuries.” [20] The historical, cultural importance of the territory of Alexandria is evidenced not only in the architectural monuments, but also in the development of a language called koinè. A language that represents the meeting of different languages and cultures. A language that has given great advantages in terms of development and communication between the city and the entire Mediterranean Sea basin. The city has unique characteristics in terms of historical, cultural and languages features. “When the local dialects are replaced by koine, we are facing the symptom of a new identity, and not only a symptom, but also a most powerful contribution to that identity.” [21] An identity that still today the Alexandrian territory possesses, together with the potential of the place of dialogue and encounter between different cultures as the Koinè language, which “necessarily has its origins in contact between dialects of one and the same language that subsequently undergo structural decomplexification” [22] of its characteristics.

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The current characteristics of the city in terms of spaces and their functions can be summarized as follows:

“Total Area 2299,97 km2 Inhabited Area 1675,5 km2 Housing area 622,3 km2 Services & cemeteries 65,4 km2 Lakes, ponds & wetland 135,3 km2 Formal agriculture land 227,8 km2 Informal agriculture land 624,7 km2 % of inhabited to total area 72,8%

Population density to total area 1739 capita/km2 Population density to inhabited area 2387 capita/km2 Gross National Income per Capita 1569,6 USD Municipal Budget: Expenditures: 212 mio. USD Revenues: 195 mio. USD (not incl. grants, loans and credits)

Residential Area: 45,9% (33784,2 feddans / 14189 ha) Industrial Area: 18,9% (13948,2 feddans / 5858 ha) Public Services & Recreational Areas: 3% (2214 feddans / 930 ha) Transportation Network: 28,8% (21254,4 feddans / 8927 ha) Military Areas: 3,4% (2509,2 feddans / 1054 ha)” [23]

The abusive occupation in Alexandria shows how urban expansion goes beyond the current urban plan. This reveals a probable inadequacy between the needs of a part of the tourist and residential sector and the current plan. Abusive spaces and the problem that regards the lack of public spaces being areas that develop irregularly.

Figure 8 Squatter settlements in Alexandria (2004)

Alexandria squatter Settlements Participatory Rapid Appraisal, April, 2005.

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Figure 9 Map of Unplanned and squatter settlements Areas in Alexandria.

https://inta-aivn.org/images/cc/Transmed/AlexandriaContribution.pdf

The Governorate of Alexandria is investigating some projects to further develop the tourism sector in partnership with the private sector. Under the City Development Strategy, a comprehensive assessment of the sector’s weaknesses and growth potentials has been completed, as part of this effort the tourism strategy identified the appropriate mix of services, infrastructure, policies and marketing schemes needed. [24] Alexandria defends a great tourist potential that can be implemented with the development of suitable infrastructures and services. “The priority tourists segments are envisioned to include:

Cultural and Heritage tourists; SAVE (scientific, academic, volunteer and educational) travel; MICE, (meetings, incentives, conferences, and events) travel; Festivals and major events.” [25]

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Figure 10 Touristic Housing in Alexandria.

https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/AlexandriaDatabase/Reports.aspx

In addition to the growing of the urbanization and the touristic potential of Alexandria, there is to consider that according to SUP Alex 2032, “the City is expected to grow from 4.1m to 6.8m by 2030 (65% population growth rate) putting pressure on the site. Physical constraints coupled with environmental risks call for future urban development away from low-lying areas.” [26]

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Figure 11 The State of the Environment in Alexandria.

https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/AlexandriaDatabase/Reports.aspx

All these factors have positive characteristics but also dangers. In fact, the increase in population and tourist flows will undoubtedly increase traffic and pollution. Pollution and traffic that will increase both in the areas of the center of Alexandria that are already subject to such negativity, and in those new and future areas of urbanization. For this we must consider all the factors of change that concern the city of Alexandria, enhancing the positive ones and connecting the negative ones to the minimum.

The city had commercial and historical significance for centuries. Alexandria is one of the oldest cities in the world at the crossroads of Western and Arab cultural and commercial exchange;

In recent years the Egyptian government is eager to revive this scientific and cultural institution in cooperation with many donor agencies;

Today, Alexandria plays an important and a vital role in the Egyptian economy and boasts huge development potentials;

availability of vacant land to address urbanization pressures; Alexandria hosts Egypt’s oldest and largest port; Development in a research area of the most important industries are iron

and steel, petroleum, cement, chemical, petrochemical, spinning and weaving, as well as fertilizer industries

For the reason explained, Alexandria reveals itself as a historical place of study themes closely connected with urban development and the economic and social characteristics of the area. Topics that deserve to be linked through the inclusion of a building that can be identified as a social and spatial reference point for citizens and visitors.

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2.3.2 Why the Desertic Site

Our architectonic element is situated inside the desert next to the main infrastructures that link Alexandria to the new urban development on the West of the city. Next to the site we have airplane, ferry, railway, car links:

on the North we have the Borg El Arab International airport; in the North of the site we have the railway that from El Salloum pass

through new Borg El Arab city, Alexandria and go in the south to Cairo and the rest of the country;

in the North-East there is the Alexandria harbor; In the North we have the highway which from El Alamein go to El-Sadat

city; The site is next to the highway between that pass from the West to the

East of the country, inside the highway triangle between marina El Alamein, Alexandria and El Sadat city;

In the south next to the site there is the highway which link Cairo and Alexandria with the West Egyptian coast.

Figure 12 Transportation network in Alexandria

https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/AlexandriaDatabase/Reports.aspx

The area chosen is therefore external to the urbanization actions in the desert area almost completely devoid of anthropic works, except for the motorway that passes south of the site and connects western Egypt with Alexandria and Cairo.

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The attractive place for tourists and citizens is located outside the Alexandria urban situation, while remaining well connected infrastructurally. The aim is to create a reference point in the desert area, a reference point that should appear to be in contrast with the area devoid of anthropic elements, in reality it integrates with the surrounding environment and becomes complementary in synergy. Not only with the environment but also with the population of the Alexandrian territory and with the visitors who intend to visit the new reference point that it intends to add to the south-west of the city, south of the urban expansion in which the coastal territory is subject.

Figure 13 The site area is between new El Alamein and Alexandria.

https://www.google.com/maps

The site chosen therefore constitutes a point capable of maintaining a constant balance between nature and man. Balance that also considers the dynamics of development that Alessandria is seeing. Dynamics that the architectural element that you intend to insert intends to welcome.

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2.3.3 Why a Tall Building

The city of Alexandria in the last decade is seeing profound changes of a social, cultural but also urbanistic field. This thanks to an increase of the information exchange, technological evolution, scientific research and also the becoming of an increasingly attractive center not only among Egyptian but also at international tourism level. This evolution, however, goes in an exclusively globalized direction that is detrimental to the knowledge of that cultural identity typical of every society, including that of the Egyptian territory of Alexandria. All these negative aspects lead to a negative liveability of the city to the detriment of residents and tourists and the Egyptian social and cultural characteristics. The building that is intended to be inserted in the context is a tall building. This takes up two monuments of the past of the city of Alexandria which were symbols of an ancient globalization that concerned the entire Mediterranean: the ancient library of Alexandria and the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria. In fact, the architectural element that we intend to insert fully reflects the iconic and functional characteristics of these two buildings. Especially with regard to the library, those typological functions that have made it unique in the world. That is to be a place of meeting, research, sharing and knowledge. From the lighthouse of Alexandria, on the other hand, we intend to take back those formal architectural features of a reference element. The ships to moor at the port of Alexandria had constant reference to the lighthouse for Alexandria, both by day and by night. By day for its dimensions, at night for its light. In this way, the project intends to reinterpret the visual reference of the lighthouse of Alessandria with a new reference point able to contextualize itself to the dynamics of the city of Alexandria and to adapt to future needs.

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Figure 14 Kircher’s vision of the Tower of Babel. Picture from his book Turris Babel, 1679

https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/highlight-from-the-stacks-kirchers-tower-

of-babel-1679/

The tower of Babel represents the point of creation from which the different languages of the world originate and represents an imposing building whose construction failed and was built by men who spoke only one language. The designed building takes up the concept of the tower of Babel, re-proposing it in a current key today. A designed building that intends to create and unify in one place the diversity of languages and is able to identify the global identity in which the context of Alexandria is inserted. A place where content from all the languages of the world is gathered and in which different languages are spoken, but at the same time a place of meeting and exchange of ideas in which cultural diversities are also revealed as related to the numerous languages present in the Our world is also a point of strength and comparison.

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2.3.4 Sustainability

The construction intends to fit into a characteristic context of the deserted areas of Egypt and for the same reason intends to absorb its characters making the complex compatible with the environment and sustainable. In fact, the challenge is how to relate sustainability with a tall building in a desert area and which has a data center inside. Both in terms of energy requirements and in terms of the materials used for its construction. For challenge in the energy requirements, we intend to use a cogeneration system that recovers heat in order to reduce the energy demand of the entire volume, it also intends to isolate the volume of the building by creating internal natural ventilation and an stable air gap in order to protect the building as much as possible from the thermal excursion. Regarding the materials we intend to use the sand to create a cement that can be used as a layer for non-load bearing walls. In fact the characteristics of the grain size of the desert sand prevent its use to make concrete that respects the necessary structural requirements but does not prevent its use for self-supporting partition walls or in any case with roles that are not of a structural nature. The sustainability of a project is not identified with the replacement or resizing of the installed spaces. Sustainability of a project means paying attention to the choice of materials for the distribution of volumes, to the consideration of external climatic factors to which the building is subjected, to the sources used for energy demand. All the elements that do not want to weaken the set of regulatory typological functions. This is because it would mean a partial understanding of the needs of the territory, going against the design principles on which the project is based. Indeed, this is seen as a challenge for the designer who must find a point or balance between sustainability and the energy demands arising from the typical needs present in the building. Challenge that was accepted and deepened during the design phase. The theme will be treated more fully in the following chapters.

2.3.5 Final Project Actions and Goals Following the urban planning and social analyzes of the Alexandria area, the second step was to identify the problems and needs of the territory. Finally, for every criticality, studies have been carried out and solutions have been found to be fulfilled in the design phase. To reach the final action, choices were made that oriented the project in a syngic way. From these final actions it was decided to design a building that is able to achieve the following objectives:

A Leader in the Digitization, Preservation and Management of Heritage; Centre of Excellence on Specialized Topics; Actor in the Sustainable Development of the City; Innovator in Cultural and Artistic Interaction; Promoter of Science and Technology; Catalyst for Reform in the Region; Apex for Networking and Partnerships;

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Meeting Point for Dialogue and Understanding between People. Below is the table drawn up before the determination of the objectives and which has constituted a column of the decision-making phase of the architectural features of the project.

Problems Studio / Final Actions

1. Lack of connection between the existing public spaces, open spaces, infrastructures, services. In other word lack in the continuity and connection of public and open space.

2. Congested city centre and in the meanwhile congestion of cross town traffic.

3. Buildings are increasing on agricultural land to the East. -whitout trees and vegetation the West expansion would not be attractive and would not certainly be lacking those characteristics that makes Egypt’s naturally water fertile land and attractive on 96 per cent of the population who live on it. (Alexandria accounted for the most important industry of fertilizer, the largest company for chemical fertilizer).

4. Squatter settlement that make the poor contributor’s and beneficiaries of local economic development. Lack of living conditions. Almost 40% of its inhabitants live in internal settlement and the total Alexandria population will reach 6.8 in 2032.

5. Alexandria touristic potential.

1. Proposing a strategic place considering the city development plan and infrastructure in order to make the city vivid and increase the quality of life.

2. Choosing a strategic place from the city in the west part of the city as a catalyst in association with the tourists and other facilities for reduce the congestion.

3. Correcting imbalances of land occupation and public spaces from earlier unplanned development and locating next to the greater part of the future expansion on desert land to the West of Alexandria rather than towards the agricultural East or South-East. The form and location of the planned development is related to economic, social and physical circumstances.

4. Improving living condition by proposing a strategic place.

5. Developing new tourism and heritage sights, conservating the available heritage. The priority tourists segments are envisioned to include: - cultural and heritage tourists; - SAVE (scientific, academic,,volunteer and educational) travel; - MICE ( meetings, incentives, conferences and events) travel; - festivals and mayor events.

Figure 15 Problems and studio/final actions table.

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2.4 The Tall Building

The tall building that we are going to insert in the context of Alexandria intends to pick up the referential and typological elements both from the Alexandria library and from the Alexandria lighthouse. In this way, the role of the lighthouse is resumed as a visual reference in order to identify the innovative and functional aspects that will be contained in the building that is to be inserted in the context of Alexandria. This re-proposal in an innovative and iconic key in a city that is becoming more and more globalized, intends to safeguard the territory of Alexandria, constituting a visual reference but also at the typological and urban level. All this in order to exploit the potential that globalization can offer in a sustainable way with the environment and compatible with the population. On the other hand, also avoiding the negative risks that can emphasize and increase the negative aspects within the city. Our architectural element wants to insert a "place" inside the city that welcomes functions that go in favor of the entire globe, offering a service to both citizens and tourists. A data center that welcomes the many exchanges of information through Internet and acts as an archive of all the information currently known on the cultures. A virtual museum able to revive the Egyptian history. A research center able to provide management and solutions on problems related to living the city. All this can not happen without considering the context and the problems linked to the urban expansion that Alexandria is experiencing, inserting itself in a coherent way with the current needs of the city in an innovative key and attentive to the future of the same.

2.4.1 Functional Description

The functions within the unit rotated around four macro areas: the space dedicated to the data center, the space dedicated to the virtual museum and the library, the space dedicated to the research center, the context as the space in which the building is inserted. In the lower part, dedicated spaces for the data center will be present inside the subsoil. Data center as a place in which two types of information will coexist. The first identifies the data center as a place for gathering and storing information on architectures and objects as an element identifying societies, cultures and languages. The inexorable deterioration due to the passing of time of these identifying elements will lead to an ever more consequent loss of dialectical-cultural information that led to the anthropic world that we can see today. The second function of the data center will be that of a real data center as an element that guards internet information. This dual function corresponds to a dialogue between past and future, between stable and unstable. This dialogue between past and future is given by an architectural element of a precise present time.

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The central part is the space in which the virtual museum and the library are located. Spaces whose theme is the cultural preservation in terms of knowledge. A modern way for involving visitors to the intro of a unique museum tour in the world and through virtual reality will make the museum an attractive and public interest center, aimed at anyone who wants to live a unique experience to understand and not lose the knowledge of Egyptian civilization with the centuries-old architectural ruins still visible today, subject to an irreversible decline due to the passage of time. As a virtual museum we mean a museum itinerary that accompanies the user in an experience that allows to live the spaces of the main Egyptian monuments in its use cycle and objects handmade of the past. For example relive the construction phase of a building, rather than that of erosion by wind and sand. The aim is to create a museum attractiveness that can enhance the Egyptian historical and architectural heritage. The user will be able to go through a series of "empty" rooms, subdivided according to the main monuments they have identified and identifying the Egyptian civilization. Monuments that come to life thanks to high resolution cameras, latest generation digital processing, 3D autostereoscopic monitors, sounds, music. The museum will also express its relations with the two main environments of Egypt: the Nile river and the desert. Two territorial contexts that have allowed the development of the Egyptian civilization and the evolution of all those socio-cultural characteristics that led to the creation of the virtual museum itself. In term of functionality in the virtual museum and ion the library we have four main functional goals:

Virtual Exhibit: Uses technology to reach and engage visitors with interpreted content organized around a subject and a storyline;

Virtual Tour: Uses technology to provide access to and interpretation of a physical space (such as an historic site, a geographical location, or an exhibit) or of an imagined space;

Interactive Resource: Uses technology to engage visitors in active play, like a game, hunt or quiz;

Educational Resource: Uses technology to engage visitors in learning about a subject directly or indirectly related to a curriculum area.

The exhibition salons explore history, culture, science and the arts, and feature fascinating stories and treasures from communities across the country. There are a lot of challenges in reconstructing any archaeological site, especially one that’s fairly modern as this was. One is just getting the data that you need to reconstruct the structure, but also all of its contents as well. The project intends therefore to relate to the social and cultural changes of a nation. In the same way it intends to insert itself not only to the physical environment and to the only past identity of a civilization, but also to the contemporaneity, to the time in which it is realized and to its future changes. In the computer reconstruction, we built it just as they would have, ‘stick by stick’ as they say. A research center is located in the upper space of the building. A research center in continuity with the historical library of Alexandria which at the time did not have

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the simple function of library and collection of texts and inventions from all over the world. It was a place where scientists and researchers from all over the world met, studied, made new inventions, shared knowledge. This means collective or individual study spaces where world scientists can study and promote their technologies. In which collective and individual spaces are meant units located to interested parties and which will have the dual role of residential and laboratory or study. The research inside that area will focus on the conservation and enhancement of the historical and architectural heritage. Conservation in practical terms of conservative restoration techniques research and enhancement through research in the field of augmented rarity and the three-dimensional and virtual reproduction of objects and architectural ruins. The aim is to create a meeting point on techniques capable of maintaining the anthropological heritage that exists today. It is therefore a research center that will look at the development of chemical products and treatments to protect manufactured goods, rather than the technological development of electronic components suitable for their virtual vision. Research has always been a fundamental column for the progress of the quality of life in the world and of human knowledge and a research center is a strong resource for not only the city of Alexandria and Egypt but for the whole world. In which research will be carried out on issues of extreme current issues such as pollution, waste, the use of resources and energy in an environmentally friendly manner. The three functional elements previously described don’t have a meaning without a contextualitation. Due to this this three elements will be strictly connected with the territory in the direction of give a space able to integrate with the urban elements of the city (elements such as services or connections) and able to offer to Egypt (and the world) a meeting place for "citizens of the world". The site area inside the desert, a link between city and landscape. An attractive location for tourists, inhabitants and researcher from all the world. The site area it isn’t inside an urban area but in the same time give the possibility to reach it inside the desert through highway and railway. The intention is to create a reference place for the city, a place to discover for tourist, inhabitants that want to step away from Alexandria cyty, and the researcher that see this architectural complex as the best place for them goals. A site area out from the urban area Aof Alexandria and next to the infrastructure between the old city of Alexandria and the two city in development (El-Alamein and Bor El Arab) where it is possible to experience the space in harmony with landscape and the culture, with the sand of the desert and with the pyramids. So in other words the site area has two opposite positions. The first position is to detach from both the chaotic urbanized environment of the old city, and from the new urban areas along the coast between El Alamein and Alexandria. The second consists in wanting to maintain contact with the history of the city and the territory, without rejecting the new tourist orientation, indeed the project wants to constitute a place of discovery, not only for the inhabitants and the researchers but also for the tourist.

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2.4.2 Architectural Composition

The building at the compositional level is made up of an external structural mesh and an internal one inside which those that we could define as separate “boxes” were established. These boxes are connected together by stairs and elevators located along the perimeter of the external grid. The perimeter of the installed space goes beyond the external structural grid and in the middle the space is used not only for the insertion of the stairwells and elevator but also for the insertion of the compartments of the technological systems. The shape of the square is currently within the project as it recalls the architectural forms of Egyptian monuments. the recurrence of this form can be seen on the external modules whose relations are full and empty they are always a square plan, or with the internal structural mesh integrated by columns that comes from the background and from the roof up to the roof. The non-structural perimeter consists of a solar screen whose modules are composed of a ratio of full and empty spaces of different sizes and which together represent the compositional soul of the facade. This type of aesthetic envelope does not concern the facade. In fact, the lower part of the facade is the glass plant that leaves the building and its surroundings transparent with its volumes and movements. As previously mentioned, the internal structure has formal and completely different characteristics from the external one. In fact, if the internal mesh of the columns is represented by the monumental plan of the history of the archaic of Egypt, the external one is made up of a contemporary mesh. This dualism from the internal and external mesh creates a synergy between past and future. a synergy that wants to reflect the changes that are taking place in the Alessandria area. On the one hand it changes that they must not neglect Egyptian history and culture. On the other hand, changes that should not be seen as a negative element but as a potential for a better future for the territory and its inhabitants.

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STRUCTURE

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3. STRUCTURE

3.1 Structural Description

In this chapter will be explained all the calculations necessary for the calculation of secondary beams, of the primary beams and of the columns. For each of them a sizing has been installed based on the loads present in our building used for structural calculation. Furthermore, as far as rebars are concerned, the sizing has been organized, a distribution has been organized and a verification has been performed. The references managed are both at “European level for the calculation of reinforced concrete structures” [27], and in the same time at “national level with the rules that apply to the principles for the design, execution and testing of the buildings, with regard to services, their requests in terms of essential mechanical strength and stability requirements, even in the case of fire, and durability”. [28] The results were then established elaborated using the "Midas" structural calculation software. The building is height 120.00 [m] and each floor is composed by 12 structural square 10.00 [m] · 10.00 [m]. The interior grid is made by eight columns in reinforced concrete, the exterior grid is made by the structural grid made by the steel structural elements. The steel exterior structural frame have two typological intersection with the slabs . This intersection there is every 5 meters and it is going to repeat every ten meters. In the project "the grid defines a new balance between control and de·control" [29] an equilibrium between the structure and the architectural space. A balance that starts from the heart of the building and continues to the outside discovering the building towards the context.

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Below you can see the first structural reference structural mesh. In the structural mesh it is possible to see that it presents a junction point of the external structure in the four corners.

Figure 16 The first main structural grid with an interval of 10 meters.

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Below you can see the second reference structural grid. In the structural grid it is possible to see that it does not have a junction point of the external structure in the four corners. this is because the structural mesh is at an intermediate level compared to the previous one.

Figure 17 The second main structural grid with an interval of 10 meters.

For the structural calculation were been considered the presence of secondary beam, primary beam and columns in reinforced concrete.

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Figure 18 Main reference lines.

The distance from axis to axis between secondary beams is of 0.8 [m] and every secondary beam has a length of 10.00 [m] The distance from axis to axis between primary beams is of 10.00 [m] and every primary beam has a length of 10.00 [m]. The distance from axis to axis between columns is of 10.00 [m] and the height of the columns for each floor is of 5.00 [m].

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3.2 Loads on Beams

The next section explains all the main slabs present inside our building. Mainly two types can be considered. The first type of slab consists of the roof, the second of the horizontal opaque closure that divides the various floors. Non-structural permanent loads have a fundamental role in determining the structure. In fact they constitute part of the load on the secondary beam and consequently on the primary beam.

3.2.1 Roof Slab

Analysis on the roof layers loads.

Figure 19 Roof slab layers.

Layers considered: 1. Photovoltaic panel; 2. Screed; 3. Thermal insulation; 4. Structural slab; 5. False ceiling.

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3.2.2 Roof Slab Calculations

Calculations and analysis of loads on the roof without consider secondary beams and primary beams.

Permanent structural load

2) CLS slab

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,12 1 1 0,12 [m³]

Specific weight 1800 [kg/m³]

18 [kN/m³]

Slab weight for 1mq 2,1600 [kN/m²]

3) Electro-welded-mesh

Diameter 5 [mm]

Mail 100 x 100

3,1 [kg/m²]

Weight for 1mq 0,0310 [kN/m²]

qs=1+2+3

2,1910 [kN/m²]

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Permanent non structural load

1) Photovoltaic panel

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,1 1 1 0,1 [m³]

Specific weight 1500 [kg/m³]

15 [kN/m³]

Weight for 1mq 1,5000 [kN/m²]

2) Screed

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,08 1 1 0,08 [m³]

Specific weight 1800 [kg/m³]

18 [kN/m³]

Weight for 1mq 1,4400 [kN/m²]

3) Thermal insulation

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,15 1 1 0,15 [m³]

Specific weight 120 [kg/m³]

1,2 [kN/m³]

Weight for 1mq 0,1800 [kN/m²]

5) Technical facilities

Weight for 1mq 0,2000 [kN/m²]

4) False ceiling

Tightness 15 [mm]

17 [kN/m²]

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Weight for 1mq 0,1700 [kN/m²]

qns=1+2+3+4+5

3,4900 [kN/m²]

Variable load

1) For public space

Weight for 1mq 4 [kN/m²]

qv=1

4

9,6810 [kN/m²]

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3.2.3 Intermediate Slab

Analysis on the roof layers loads.

Figure 20 Intermediate slab layers.

Layers considered: 1. Tiles; 2. Screed; 3. Thermal insulation; 4. Structural slab; 5. False ceiling.

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3.2.4 Intermediate Slab Calculations

Calculations and analysis of loads on the roof considering secondary beams and primary beams.

Permanent structural load

0) primary beam

weight height length

Volume/mq 0,75 0,8 1 0,6 [m³]

Specific weight

25 [kN/m]

Interaxis 10 [m]

weight for 1mq 1,5000 [kN/m²]

1) secondary beam

weight height length

Volume/mq 0,15 0,5 1 0,075 [m³]

Specific weight

25 [kN/m]

Interaxis 0,8 [m]

weight for 1mq 2,3438 [kN/m²]

2) CLS slab

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,12 1 1 0,12 [m³]

Specific weight 1800 [kg/m³]

18 [kN/m³]

Slab weight for 1mq 2,1600 [kN/m²]

3) Electro-welded-mesh

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Diameter 5 [mm]

Mail 100 x 100

3,1 [kg/m²]

Weight for 1mq 0,0310 [kN/m²]

qs=1+2+3

6,0348 [kN/m²]

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Permanent non structural load

1) Tiles

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,02 1 1 0,02 [m³]

Specific weight 1500 [Kg/m³]

15 [KN/m³]

Weight for 1mq 0,3000 [kN/m²]

2) Screed

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,08 1 1 0,08 [m³]

Specific weight 1800 [Kg/m³]

18 [KN/m³]

Weight for 1mq 1,4400 [kN/m²]

3) Thermal insulation

Tightness base length

Volume/mq 0,08 1 1 0,08 [m³]

Specific weight 120 [Kg/m³]

1,2 [KN/m³]

Weight for 1mq 0,0960 [kN/m²]

4) Technical facilities

Weight for 1mq 0,2000 [kN/m²]

5) False ceiling

Tightness 15 [mm]

17 [kg/m²]

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Weight for 1mq 0,1700 [kN/m²]

6) Partitions

Weight for 1mq 0,2000 [kN/m²]

qns=1+2+3+4+5+6

2,4060 [kN/m²]

Variable load

1) For public space

Weight for 1mq 4 [kN/m²]

qv=1

4 [kN/m²]

12,4408 [kN/m²]

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3.3 Secondary Beam

The total load area considered on secondary beam is of 10.00 [m] x 1.00 [m] .

Figure 21 Load area on one secondary beam.

3.3.1 Permanent Structural Load

q = 4.53 KN/m² (secondary beam load with a section of 0.15 [m] · 0.50 [m])

3.3.2 Permanent Non Structural Load

q = 2.41 KN/m²

3.3.3 Variable Load

q = 4.00 KN/m²

3.3.4 Steel and Reinforced Concrete

For rebars the steel which we are going to use is B450C which is equal to 391’300 KN/m2 (equal to 391.3 N / mm2). For reinforced concrete we are going to use an C 50/60.

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fck = 50 [Mpa] Rck = 60 [Mpa]

fcd = αcc · fck / 1.5 = 0.85 · 50 / 1.5 = 28.33 [MPa] = 28.33 [N/mm²]

The coefficient “α” takes into account the decrease of resistance under the effect of long duration.

3.3.5 Uls and Secondary Beam

Structural load = 4.53 kN/m² Non structural load = 2.41 kN/m² Live load = 4 kN/m² (number checked in the Eurocode 1 and in accord with our design purpose of an public building) Check the bearing capacity of the floor system; Load for meter square = 4.53 · 1.3 + 2.41 · 1.3 + 4 · 1.5 = 15.02 kN/m² The maximum load of the slab is considering the center to center distance of 0.8 m. q* = ( 4.53 · 1.3 + 2.41 · 1.3 + 4 · 1.5) x 0.8 = 12.02 kN/m² The secondary beam support slab load with an center to center distance (i) = 0.80 [m] The secondary beam have to cover a span (l) = 10.0 [m] Now is possible calculate the maximum binding moment for a length of 10.0 m possible to calculate in this way: Med = q · l² / 8 = 12.02 · 10.0² / 8 = 150.25 [kN · m] = 150.25 · 10³ [N · m] The scheme used is the following one:

Figure 22 Loads scheme considered for secondary beam.

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The length of the beam is 10.00 [m]. The total load “q” is considering:

the permanent structural load;

the permanent non structural load;

the variable load.

3.3.6 Height Calculation

As hypothesis our “b” is of 15.00 [cm] and the compressive rebar is 25% of the tensile rebar. d = r’ · (rad.q (M / b)) r’ = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · fcd)) = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · 28.33 [N/mm²])) = 0.4360 M = 150.25 · 10³ [N x m] = 150.25 · 10⁶ [N x mm] b = 0.15 [m] = 150.00 [mm] d = 0.4360 · (rad.q (150.25 · 10⁶ / 150.00)) = 436.36 [mm] = 43.64 [cm] 44.00 + c = 50 cm so our secondary beam have a height of 50.00 [cm] .

3.3.7 Width Calculation

Our height is 44 + 6 [cm]. b = r’² / d² · M r’ = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · fcd)) = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · 28.33 [N/mm²])) = 0.4360 M = 150.25 x 10³ [N x m] = 150.25 x 10⁶ [N x mm] d = 0.44 [m] = 440.00 [mm] b = 0.4360² / 440² · 150.25 · 10⁶ = 147.53 [mm] = 148.00 [mm] b = 15.00 [cm] b / h > 0.25 15.00 [cm] / 50 [cm] > 0.25 ___ So our secondary beam has a section of 15 · 50 [cm] .

3.3.8 Rebars Calculation

As = Med / (0.9 · d · fyd)

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Med = bending moment for which is to determine the rebars; d = is the useful height of the floor (d = h – c = 0.50 – 0.06 = 0.44 m); fyd = the design value of the yield stress of the steel (391.3 N / mm² per B450C which is equal to 391’000 KN/m²). As = 150.25 [KN · m] / (0.9 · 0.44 · 391’000 [KN/m²]) = 0.000970 m² = 970 mm²

Figure 23 Rebars table.

https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/tondi_sezionexnumero.htm

3 ø 22 = 1’140 mm² Now we can calculate the resistant moment of the rebars. Rebars Moment = Mrs = 0.9 · d · fyd · As

fyd = the design value of the yield stress of the steel (391.3 N / mm² per B450C

which is equal to 391’000 KN/m²)

As = rebars area

Rebars Moment = Mrs = 0.9 · 0.44 [m] · 391’000 · 0.001140 =

Rebars Moment = Mrs = 176.51 [Kn · m]

So for 3 ø 22 = 1’140 [mm²] with an Mrs of 176.51 [Kn · m]

3.3.9 Concrete Calculation

The resistant moment of the concrete is possible to obtain by the reverse design formula.

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Mrc = d² x b / r² d = is the useful height of the floor (d = h – c = 0.50 – 0.06 = 0.44 m); b = is the width of the total joists r’ = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · fcd)) = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · 28.33 [N/mm²])) = 0.4360 Mrc = 440² [mm] x 150 [mm] / 0.4360² = 152.76 [KN x m]

3.3.10 Straight Bending Verification

S.L.U. section check has to consider the maximum bending moment which in our situation is 150.25 [kN · m]. x = (Ast - Asc) · fyd / (β · b · fcd) Ast = tensile rebars area Asc = compression rebars area Fyd = 391.3 for B450C β = filling factor for rectangular section = 0.810 b = 150 [mm] Compressed height area: x = 1’140.00 [mm²] · 391.3 [N/mm²] / (0.810 x 150 [mm] x 28.33 [N/mm²]) = 129.60 [mm] Resisting moment of the section is: Mrd = ((As · (d - k · x) + s · As · (k · x – c)) x fyd K = for rectangular section is 0.416 Mrd = 11.14 [cm²] · (44.00 [cm] - 0.416 · 12.96 [cm]) · 391.3 [N/mm²] / 10³ = Mrd = 168.30 [kN x m] Med < Mrd 150.25 [kN x m] < 168.30 ___

3.3.11 Shear Verification

The shear verification is satisfied if the solicit cut “Ved” is lower than the resistant shear “Vrd”. For elements without cut-resistant reinforcements and in the absence of normal stress, such as this case of the floor we have to follow the next formulas. b = 0.15 [m] = 150 [mm] d = 0.44 [m] = 440 [mm] As in 0.80 = 3 ø 24 = 1’140 [mm²]

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k = 1 + rad.q (200 / d) = 1 + rad.q (200 / 440) = 1.674 v min = 0.035 · rad.q (k³ · fck) = 0.035 · rad.q (1.674³ · 50) = 0.536 [MPa] ρ1 = As / (b · d) = 1’114 / (150 · 440) = 0.017 v min · b · d = 0.536 · 15 [cm] · 44 [cm] = 353.76 Vrd = 0.18 · k · (rad.3q (100 · ρ1 · fck)) · b · d / γ =

Vrd = 0.18 · 1.674 · (rad.3q (100 x 0.035 x 50) x 15.00 [cm] x 44.0 [cm] / 1.5 = 741.58 [KN] Vrd > (v min x b x d) 741.58 [KN] > 353.76 [KN] ___

3.3.12 Secondary Beam Conclusion

Secondary beam has the following characteristics:

Distance from axis to axis between secondary beams: 0.80 [m] Length: 10.00 [m] Width: 15.00 [cm] Height: 50.00 [cm] Section concrete area: 750.00 [cm²] Section steel area: 11.14 [mm²] Rebars in tension: 3 ø 22 Rebars in compression: 2 ø 22

Figure 24 Secondary beam section.

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3.4 Calculation for Primary Beam

The total load area considered on primary beam is of 10.00 [m] x 10.00 [m].

Figure 25 Load area on one primary beam.

3.4.1 Permanent Structural Load

q = 6.03 KN/mq (permanent structural load for secondary beam + primary beam load with a section of 0.60 [m] x 0.75 [m] )

3.4.2 Permanent Non Structural Load

q = 2.41 KN/mq

3.4.3 Variable Load

q = 4.00 KN/mq

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3.4.4 Steel and Reinforced Concrete

For rebars the steel which we are going to use is B450C which is equal to 391’300 KN/m2 (equal to 391.3 N / mm2). For reinforced concrete we are going to use an C 50/60. fck = 50 [Mpa] Rck = 60 [Mpa]

fcd = αcc · fck / 1.5 = 0.85 · 50 / 1.5 = 28.33 [MPa] = 28.33 [N/mm²]

The coefficient “α” takes into account the decrease of resistance under the effect of long duration.

c = 6 + (Rck – 15) / 4 = 6 + (60 -15) / 4 = 17.25 [N/mm²]

s = 255 [N/mm²] for B450C

3.4.5 Uls and Primary Beam

Structural load = 5.93 kN/m² Non structural load = 2.41 kN/m² Live load = 4 kN/m² (number checked in the Eurocode 1 and in accord with our design purpose of an public building) Check the bearing capacity of the floor system; Load for meter square = 6.03 · 1.3 + 2.41 · 1.3 + 4 · 1.5 = 16.97 kN/m² The maximum load of the slab is considering 10.00 m. q* = ( 6.03 · 1.3 + 2.41 · 1.3 + 4 · 1.5) · 10.00 = 169.72 kN/m² The primary beam under study have a load of (i) = 10.00 [m] The primary beam have to cover a span of (l) = 10.0 [m] Now is possible calculate the maximum binding moment for a length of 10.0 m in this way: Med = q · l² / 8 = 169.72 · 10.0² / 8 = 2’121.50 [kN · m] = 2’121.50 · 10³ [N · m] The scheme used is the following one:

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Figure 26 Loads scheme considered for primary beam.

The length of the beam is 10.00 [m]. The total load “q” is considering:

the permanent structural load;

the permanent non structural load;

the variable load.

3.4.6 Height Calculation

As hypothesis our “b” is of 70 cm and the compressive rebar is 25% of the tensile rebar. d = r’ · (rad.q (M / b)) r’ = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · fcd)) = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · 28.33 [N/mm²])) = 0.4360 M = 2’121.50 · 10³ [N · m] = 2’121.50 · 10⁶ [N · mm] b = 0.75 [m] = 750.00 [mm] d = 0.4360 · (rad.q (2’121.50 · 10⁶ / 750.00)) = 733.29 [mm] = 74 [cm] 74 + c = 80 cm so our primary beam have a height of 80 [cm] .

3.4.7 Width Calculation

Our height is 80 [cm]. b = r’² / d² · M r’ = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · fcd)) = 1 / (rad.q (0.1857 · 28.33 [N/mm²])) = 0.4360 M = 2’121.50 · 10³ [N · m] = 2’121.50 · 10⁶ [N · mm] d = 0.74 [m] = 740.00 [mm] b = 0.4360² / 740² · 2’121.50 · 10⁶ = 736.47 [mm] = 75 [mm]

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b = 75 cm so our primary beam have a section of 75 · 80 [cm] .

3.4.8 Rebars Calculation

As = Med / (0.9 · d · fyd) Med = bending moment for which is to determine the rebars; d = is the useful height of the primary beam (d = h – c = 0.80 – 0.06 = 0.74 [m]); fyd = the design value of the yield stress of the steel (391.3 [N / mm²] per B450C which is equal to 391’000 [KN/m²]). As = 2’121.50 [KN · m] / (0.9 · 0.74 · 391’000 [KN/m²]) = 0.008147 m² = 8’147 mm²

Figure 27 Rebars table.

https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/tondi_sezionexnumero.htm

6 ø 44 = 9’123.00 mm²

Now we can calculate the resistant moment of the rebars.

Mrs = 0.9 · d · fyd · As

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fyd = the design value of the yield stress of the steel (391.3 N / mm² per B450C

which is equal to 391’000 KN/m²)

As = rebars area

Mrs = 0.9 · 0.74 [m] · 391’000 · 0.009123 =

Mrs = 2’375.68 [Kn · m]

So for 6 ø 44 = 9’123 mm² with an Mrs of 2’375.68 [Kn · m]

3.4.9 Concrete Calculation

The resistant moment of the concrete is possible to obtain by the reverse design formula. Mrc = d² · b / r² d = is the useful height of the floor (d = h – c = 0.80 – 0.06 = 0.74 [m]); b = is the width of the total joists in one meter r = 0.4360 Mrc = 740² · 750 / 0.4360² = 2’160.49 [KN · m]

3.4.10 Straight Bending Verification

S.L.U. section check has to consider the maximum bending moment which in our situation is 2’121.50 [kN · m]. x = (Ast – Asc) · fyd / (β · b · fcd) Ast = tensile rebars area Asc = compression rebars area Fyd = 391.3 for B450C β = filling factor for rectangular section = 0.810 b = 750 [mm] Compressed height area: x = 9’123.00 [mm²] · 391.3 [N/mm²] / (0.810 · 750 [mm] · 28.33 [N/mm²]) = 207.42 [mm] Resisting moment of the section is: Mrd = ((As · (d – k · x) + s · As · (k · x – c)) · fyd K = for rectangular section is 0.416

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Mrd = 91.23 [cm²] · (74.00 [cm] - 0.416 · 20.74 [cm] ) · 391.3 [N/mm²] / 10³ = Mrd = 2’333.67 [kN · m] Med < Mrd 1’985.00 [kN · m] < 2’333.67 ___

3.4.11 Shear Verification

The shear verification is satisfied if the solicit cut “Ved” is lower than the resistant shear “Vrd”. For elements without cut-resistant reinforcements and in the absence of normal stress, such as this case of the floor we have to follow the next formulas. b = 0.75 [m] = 750 [mm] d = 0.74 [m] = 740 [mm] As in 1 meter = 6 ø 44 = 9’123 [mm²]

k = 1 + rad.q (200 / d) = 1 + rad.q (200 / 740) = 1.5199 v min = 0.035 · rad.q (k³ · fck) = 0.035 · rad.q (1.5199³ · 50) = 0.4637 [MPa] ρ1 = As / (b · d) = 9’123 / (750 · 740) = 0.0164 v min · b · d = 0.4637 · 75 [cm] · 74 [cm] = 2’573.54 Vrd = 0.18 · k · (rad.3q (100 · ρ1 · fck)) · b · d / γ =

Vrd = 0.18 · 1.5199 · (rad.3q (100 · 0.0164 · 50) · 75 [cm] · 74 [cm] / 1.5 = 4’397.72 [KN] Vrd > (v min · b · d) 4’397.72 [KN] > 2’573.54 [KN] ___

3.4.12 Primary Beam Conclusion

Primary beam has the following characteristics: Distance form axis to axis between primary beams: 10.00 [m] Length: 10.00 [m] Width: 75.00 [cm] Height: 80.00 [cm] Section concrete area: 6’000.00 [cm²] Section steel area: 91.23 [cm²]

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Rebars in tension: 6 + 6 ø 32 Rebars in compression: 6 ø 26

Figure 28 Primary beam section.

3.5 Column

The total load area considered on the central column is of 10.00 [m] x 5.00 [m].

Figure 29 Load area on one column.

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3.5.1 Permanent Structural Load

q = 6.03 KN/mq Qp = 125.00 KN (column load with a section of 1.00 [m] x 1.00 [m] )

3.5.2 Permanent Non Structural Load

q = 2.41 KN/mq

3.5.3 Variable Load

q = 4.00 KN/mq

3.5.4 Steel and Reinforced Concrete

For rebars the steel which we are going to use is B450C which is equal to 391’300 KN/m2 (equal to 391.3 N / mm2). For reinforced concrete we are going to use an C50/60. fck = 50 [Mpa] Rck = 60 [Mpa]

fcd = αcc x fck / 1.5 = 0.85 x 50 / 1.5 = 28.33 [MPa] = 28.33 [N/mm²]

The coefficient “α” takes into account the decrease of resistance under the effect of long duration.

c = 6 + (Rck – 15) / 4 = 6 + (60 -15) / 4 = 17.50 [N/mm²]

s = 255 [N/mm²] for B450C

3.5.5 Uls and Column

(section sizing in accord with vertical forces)

Structural load = 6.03 kN/m² Non structural load = 2.41 kN/m² Live load = 4 kN/m² (number checked in the Eurocode 1 and in accord with our design purpose of an public building) Check the bearing capacity of the floor system;

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Factored load for meter square = 6.03 · 1.3 + 2.41 · 1.3 + 4 · 1.5 = 16.97 kN/m² The area which is going to overload the column is: 10.00 x 5.00 = 50 m². So the previous load is to multiply to the area in order to have a concentrated load. QL = ( 6.03 · 1.3 + 2.41 · 1.3 + 4 · 1.5) · 50.00 [m²] = 848.60 [kN] Now to QL there is to add the column load which is a permanent structural load in order to have the normal design stress “Ned”. Column load = Qp = 125.00 [KN] Ned = QL + Qp · 1.3 = 848.60 [KN] + 125.00 [KN] · 1.3 = 1’011.10 [KN] The building is 140 [m] tall and is with 28 floors. Ned28 = 1’011.10 [KN] · 28 = 28’310.80 [KN] Now is possible calculate the total reinforced concrete area that we need. Ac = Ned28 / fcd Ned28 at the ground floor = 28’310.80 [KN] fcd = αcc x fck / 1.5 = 0.85 x 50 / 1.5 = 28.33 [MPa] = 28.33 [N/mm²]

Ac = 28’310.80 x 10³ [N] / 51 [N/mm²] = 555’113.73 [mm²] = 5’551.14 [cm²]

Radq (5’551.14 [cm²] ) = 74.50 [cm] So we must use a minimum section of 0.75 [cm] x 0.75 [cm] and verify the minimum length in accord with the horizontal force. We have 1.00 [m] x 1.00 [m].

3.5.6 Column Section

(sizing in accord with horizontal wind force)

For the section area we are going to use the same formula procedure used for simple bending. The load scheme of a beam is with joint at the base and the height equal to the height of the building. Now we will calculate the wind pressure which act on our building and we are going to consider the Italian area 9 which corresponds to the Mediterranean Sea, so it’s the nearest one to our site and the highest one in Italy.

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1. Reference kinetic pressure “qb” Vb0 = 27 [m/s] a0 = 500 [m] Ka = 0.020 [1/ s] as = 5 [m] r = air density = 1.25 kg/m³ for as > a0 vb = vb’0 = 31 [m/s] qb = r/2 x vb² qb = 1.25 x 31² = 1201.25

2. Exposure coefficient “ce” z > z min so we have to use the formula: ce (z) = kr² · ct · ln (z/z0) · [7 + ct ln (z/z0)] rugosity soil is class D and we are in area 9. Category is “I”. kr = for category “I” is 0.17 z0 = 0.01 [m] z min = 2 [m] z = 5 [m] ct = 1 for plan area ce (z) = 0.17² · 1 · ln. (5 / 0.01) · (7 + 1 x ln. (5 / 0.01)) = 2.37

3. Aerodynamic coefficient “cp” For underwind elements: Cpe = - 0.4 Cpi = + 0.2 Cp = - 0.4 + 0.2 = - 0.2

4. dynamic coefficient “cd” cd = 1

5. Wind pressure “Pf”

Pf = qb · ce · cp · cd Pf = 1’201.25 · 2.37 · (- 0.2) · 1 = 569.39 [KN/m²]

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6. Moment calculation qvd = Pd · L Pd = wind pressure = 569.39 [N/m²] = 0.569 [KN/m²] L = horizontal length of the center to center distance between columns. qvd = 0.569 [KN/m²] · 10.00 [m] = 5.69 [KN/m]

The scheme load which we are going to use is the following one:

Figure 30 Scheme considered for the wind on the column.

The height is 140.00 [m]; qvd = 5.69 [KN/m]; Fvd = 682.80 [KN]. Fvd = qvd · h = 5.69 [KN/m] · 140 [m] = 796.60 [KN] Med = qvd · h² / 2 + Fvd · h = 5.69 · 140² / 2 + 569.00 · 140 = Med = 135’422.00 [kN x m] = 135’422.00 x 10³ [N x m]

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3.5.7 Width Calculation

Column useful length measurement: d = radq. (Med / (0.9 · 0.01 · b · fyd)) Med = 135’422.00 [kN · m] = 135’422.00 · 10⁶ [N · mm] b = 1’000.00 [mm] fyd = the design value of the yield stress of the steel (391.3 N / mm² per B450C

which is equal to 391’000 KN/m²)

d = radq. (Med / (0.9 · 0.01 · b · fyd)) = d = radq. (135’422.00 · 10⁶ [N · mm] / (0.9 · 0.01 · 1’000.00 · 391.3 [N / mm²])) = d = 6’201.10 [mm] = 62.01 [cm] So the section of the column in accord with the wind force must have a minimum of width of 0.65 [m].

3.5.8 Column Rebars Calculation

Asmin > 0.1 · Ned28 / fyd Asmin > 0.3 / 100 · Ac Asmin = minimum rebars section area Ac = concrete section area fyd = the design value of the yield stress of the steel (391.3 N / mm² per B450C which

is equal to 391’000 KN/m²); Ned28 = 28’310.80 [KN] Asmin > 0.1 · Ned28 / fyd Asmin > 0.1 · 28’310.80 [KN] · 10³ [N] / 391.3 [N / mm²] Asmin > 7’235.06 [mm²] Asmin > 0.3 · Ac Asmin > 0.3 / 100 · 1’000 · 1’000 Asmin > 3’000.00 [mm²]

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Figure 31 Rebars table.

https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/peso_tondi.htm

8 ø 36 = 8’143.20 [mm²]

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3.5.9 Verification

As min > 0.1 · Ned28 / fyd 8’143.20 [mm²] > 7’235.06 [mm²] ___

As min > 0.3 · Ac 8’143.20 [mm²] > 3’000.00 [mm²] ___

As / Ac < 0.04 =

(8’143.20 [mm²]) / (1’000.00 [mm] x 1’000.00 [mm]) < 0.04

0.0081 < 0.04 ___

Ned < Nrd

Ned < fcd · Ac + fcu · As

28’310.80 · 10³ [N] < 51.00 [N/mm²] · 1 · 10⁶ [mm²] + 391.3 [N / mm²] · 8’143.20

[mm²]

28’310.80 · 10³ [N] < 54’186.43 · 10³ [N] ___

3.5.10 Slenderness

λ = L0 / sigma λ = L0 / (rad.q (I min/A)) L0 = 2 · 5 · 10³ [mm] I min = B · H³ / 12 = 1’000 · 1’000³ / 12 = 83.33 · 10⁹ [mm] λ = 0.5 · 5 · 10³ [mm] / (rad.q (83.33 · 10⁹ [mm] / (1’000 · 1’000 [mm²])) = 8.66

λ < 150

8.66 < 150 ___

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3.5.11 Column Conclusion

So we will have a secondary beam with the following characteristics:

Length: 100.00 [cm] Width: 100.00 [cm] Height: 500.00 [cm] Section concrete area: 10’000.00 [cm²] Section steel area: 81.43 [cm²] Rebars: 16 ø 26

Figure 32 Column section.

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3.6 Structural Design Resolution

Now the features of the secondary beam, primary beam and column are defined. The secondary beam has a length of 10.00 meters and a centre to centre distance of 0.80 meters. The section of the secondary beam will be 0.50 meters for the height and 0.15 meters for the width. The rebars present in the lower part of the beam, subject to tension action, are 3 ø 22. The primary beam has a length of 10.00 meters and a wheelbase of 10.00 meters. The section of the secondary beam will be 0.80 meters for the height and 0.75 meters for the width. The rods present in the lower part of the beam, subject to traction, are 6 ø 44. The column has a section of the secondary beam of 1.00 meters for the width and 1.00 meters for the length. The rebars present in the lower part of the beam, subject to tension, are 8 ø 36.

Figure 33 From the left to the right: primary beam section, secondary beam section, column section.

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3.7 Midas

Midas is a software for structural calculation. The performance of the guaranteed calculations would have been very expensive in terms of time and precision without the aid of a structural calculation software. Every single element of the primary beams, secondary beams, columns and supports, boundary conditions, vertical loads has been assigned. Due to complexity of the project, we were asked to evaluate the behavior of the external structure which is Diagrid system. Therefore, the evaluations show only the behavior of diagrid system.

Figure 34 A part of the Midas model in Hidden Geometry mode.

The Midas interface in figure 17 presents the structural model in Midas Gen software with. In fact, for each element its dimensional and material characteristics in addition to the section of the elements are important to be determined. Figure 18 and 19 shows the section of the columns and diagrid. Additionally, the material of the columns are concrete C 50/60 and the diagrid is steel S355.

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Figure 35 Columns Section.

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Figure 36 Diagrid section.

The first thing which is crucial to be checked is Steel Design Strength Check in ULC state, with load combination which is 1.35 DL + 1.50 LL.

Figure 37 Steel Code checking Result Ratio. (Combined)

According to the figure 20, design strength is verified since for all the element Med/Mrd<1 and there is no red line in the figure. The results of the analysis regarding the displacement, show the deformations to which the elements are subjected. The elements are shown deformed with respect to the original position in order to emphasize the direction of the

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displacements. Movements are referred to the entire structure. Furthermore, the extent of the deformation is highlighted by a legend ranging from blue to red. Note that the Z- displacement which can be seen in the figure 21 is shown by a specific scale factor.

Figure 38 Midas model, Z-displacement.

Z-displacement of the whole Diagrid structure is around 10 cm. This number is negligible for the whole building, but it is considerable and noticeable for a slab which is supported by columns from one part and the Diagrid structure from the other part. The Z-displacement of the columns is zero, while the Z- displacement of the Diagrid is approximately 10 cm for the top floors. To avoid having a tilted floor, it is necessary balance this situation. Therefore, the columns must be divided into two parts. The first part which is supporting the first half of the floors is going to be constructed each ten meters separately. On the other hand, the last ten columns which are on top of each other, should be constructed 9.99 meters. As a result, the last (upper) floor and

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second to last one will be supported by a column whose height was reduced 10 and 9 cm, respectively. By means of this action, we can compensate the Z-displacement.

Figure 39 Midas model, a horizontal beam deformation.

Figure 40 Columns scheme.

Having confirmed the deformations and design strength, we checked the buckling. The result can be seen in figure 23.

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Figure 41 Buckling check.

Since there is no red element in the figure 23, it can be understood that no element will be buckled.

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Material and Sustainability

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4. MATERIALS: INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

4.1 Material and Sustainability

The materials that are intended to be used for the building are closely connected with historical and cultural roots. In Egypt the common material were stone, and mud. “From the Old Kingdom onward stone was generally used for tombs—the eternal dwellings of the dead—and for temples—the eternal houses of the gods. Mud brick remained the domestic material, used even for royal palaces; it was also used for fortresses, the great walls of temple precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple complexes.” [30] In specific “the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were limestone and sun-baked mud brick. The mud was placed in molds and left to dry in the hot sun to harden.” [31] Wood was more plentiful in Egypt at this time but still not in the quantity to suggest itself as a building material on any large scale. Therefore, the main construction materials in Egypt generally have been stone, brick and mud while they have used with different techniques and forms. Blackbox is located in the west part of the Alexandria city on desert where sand is abundant; hence, the best solution in term of sustainability, availability and cost was to use the sand as a main element for the production and construction of materials. However, finding a technique was not a straightforward. In the exterior wall there is the use of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete, 3D printed Wall, Acrylic. In the interior wall the technique used is thanks to the material Finite. The building therefore presents a wide use of desert sand through innovative applications in terms of materials. This attributes to the building those sustainability characteristics for the main material used uses desert sand as the raw material. Clearly the use of desert sand has its limits. For example, due to its essentially granulometric characteristics it cannot currently be used for structural elements. However it can be used as a finishing or plugging material or for ornamental purposes.

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4.2 Glass Fiber reinforced Concrete

Since the exterior of the building is double layer, it includes a curtain wall which is considered to be Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) and a wall placed in the interior part of the building that is either a transparent layer or an opaque layer.

Figure 42 Exterior walls façade concept.

GFRC is a specialized form of concrete with many applications. It can be effectively used to create façade wall panels, fireplace surrounds, vanity tops and concrete countertops due to its unique properties and tensile strength. GFRC is similar to chopped fiberglass (the kind used to form boat hulls and other complex three-dimensional shapes), although much weaker. It’s made by combining a mixture of fine sand, cement, polymer (usually an acrylic polymer), water, other admixtures and alkali-resistant (AR) glass fibers. Many mix designs are available online, but you’ll find that all share similarities in the ingredients and proportions used. “GFRC has many benefits. GFRC include the possibility of construct Lightweight Panels. Although the relative density is similar to concrete, GFRC panels can be much thinner than traditional concrete panels, making them lighter. GFRC has an high compressive, flexural and tensile strength. The high quantity of glass fibers leads to high tensile strength while the high polymer content makes the concrete flexible and resistant to cracking. Proper reinforcing using scrim will further increase the strength of objects and is critical in projects where visible cracks are not tolerable.” [32]

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Figure 43 A sample project where GFRC used for its façade.

http://www.pre-cast.org/gfrc_details.asp

There are different kind of application. The one of our case is called Hybrid method. “The Hybrid method has been used for casting the GFRC’s panels. It uses an inexpensive hopper gun to apply the face coat and a hand packed or poured backer mix. A thin face (without fibers) is sprayed into the molds and the backer mix is then packed in by hand or poured in much like ordinary concrete. This is an affordable way to get started, but it is critical to carefully create both the face mix and backer mix to ensure similar consistency and makeup. This is the method that most concrete countertop makers use.” [33]

Figure 44 Spray-Up application.

https://timberridgedesigns.com/gfrc-countertops-the-diy-solution/

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4.3 3D Printed Sand

Sand can help us for producing the opaque one. Having carried out research, we came up with 3D printed sand material since Sand cannot be used solely and needs to be processed and an adhesive must be added. Typically, the substrate is a silica sand that has been pretreated with an acid catalyst, but it can be a number of other aggregates used in metal casting, such as zircon and synthetic ceramics. However, the adhesive must be chosen intelligently since we need a material with high thermal resistance. The particles of sand can be stuck together by Resin and the result would be a high resistant material. The 3D printing technique can help us with producing this material.

Figure 45 3D printed sand

https://www.ha-international.com/content/about_us/article_1.aspx

“First, a layer of the pre-treated substrate is spread evenly across a fixed space commonly called a “build box.” Build box sizes can range from 300x200x150 mm all the way to 5000x2000x1000 mm. The thickness of the pre-treated substrate varies, but usually it is about 0.3 mm.In our project, Build box is considered as 4500x2000x5 mm. Next, a print head using technology similar to common ink jet printers, “jets” the reactive binder onto the sand. But, note that it is the manner in which the binder is deposited on the layer of sand that makes the process unique. The actual part geometry is created by the print head jetting the binder only onto the layer of sand in the required shape. This process is repeated until the final 3D part geometry is created.” [34]

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Figure 46 3D printing with sand material.

https://www.3dnatives.com/en/3d-printing-construction-310120184/

4.4 Acrylic

For the transparent walls, we decided to use Acrylic instead of Glass. Because it has many advantages over glass, and its properties can contribute to the weight, air flux, etc. of the building. Acrylic could offer a sustainable alternative for glass. As many enclosures of our building is build out of glass, it is worthy to be used instead of it. Although it is a bit more expensive than glass, since it is lighter, the cost of the transportation will be decreased. “These are other advantages of Acrylic compared to the Glass:

Acrylic weight is less than half than the weight of glass. Acrylic has an higher impact resistance than glass. Glass has 90% light transmittance and acrylic has 92% light

transmittance. Standard acrylic allow UV light to pass. Anyway acrylic sheets can also

be delivered with a UV filter.” [35] “Acrylic material insulation is 0.19 W/mK, for laminated glass is 0.79

W/mK”. [36] “Acrylic can be defined as a material with transparency properties compared to glass. For example, glass under water acquires a greenish tint. Acrylic instead is not acquiring a visible tint. There is just one drawback with Acrylic regarding its color. It will get yellowish after exposing for a long time to direct sunlight.” [37] However, it is not our concerns since due to the curtain walls, it will not be exposed to the direct sun light.

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Figure 47 The underwater color of acrylic on the left and of glass on the right.

https://www.hydrosight.com/glass-vs-acrylic-a-comparison

4.5 Interior Wall

There are not much enclosures inside the building, so we focused on the columns surrounded by the vertical void. The main material of the columns is reinforced concrete and there is no alternative to be substituted for this material. Nevertheless, since our idea about the structure was the juxtaposition of the typical frame/column with modern diagrid structure, we struggled with the coating of the columns to render the texture and the color of the ancient buildings’ materials in Egypt, while being durable. As a result, we came across with the idea of producing concrete with desert sand. “Currently there is a product that comes from the desert sand. It is made o sand and other fine powders. Finite can be remolded for multiple lifecycle uses.” [38]

Figure 48 Finite material cubes.

https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/24/desert-sand-could-offer-low-carbon-concrete-alternative/

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“Finite allow to change the color of the ordinary concrete which is gray and this material is considered as low-carbon alternative for concrete. This material is as strong as concrete but has half the carbon footprint. Theoretically, Finite could also be used for permanent structures such as residential projects, but for this, it would need to pass rounds of testing and regulations. Advantages of the Finite:

Environmentally friendly; Recyclable; As strong as concrete; Simple to make; Non-toxic (Low carbon); Sustainable.” [39]

4.6 Horizontal Enclosure Material

The building uses a Waffle plate. This technique offers a thickness portion of the slab with considerably higher strength and load capacity. In other words, for a lower use of cement and steel for the same performance. And a lower consumption of materials during construction. “Benefits of Waffle Slab Construction:

Waffle slabs are used for larger span slabs; The load carrying capacity of waffle slab is greater than the other types

of slabs; It has good vibration control capacity because of two directional

reinforcement and is a good solution for control vibrations created by movements of crowd;

Waffle slabs are lightweight and requires less amount of concrete, hence it is economical;

Several services like lighting, plumbing pipes, electrical wiring, air conditioning, insulation materials etc. can be provided within the depth of waffle slab by providing holes in the waffle bottom surface. This system is called as Holedeck.” [40]

Figure 49 Waffle slab. Art Gallery of New South Wales.

1977 / Photo Max Dupain http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/dupain/for-media/art-gallery.aspx

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4.7 General Overview

The building has a transparent vertical closure with a thermal resistance of 0.45 m²K/W and a thermal transmittance of 2.23 W/m²K. The transparent vertical closure uses acrylic instead of glass. this made it possible to reduce the complexity of the layers while maintaining good transmittance and without weighing on the structure in terms of weight. The building has a opaque vertical closure with a thermal resistance of 3.23 m²K/W and a thermal transmittance of 0.31 W/m²K.The opaque vertical closure presents walls printed in 3D for the walls on the inner perimeter and the external modules in Fiber Glass Reinforced Concrete. What allowed us to use a material that is easily available in the area without using the overall quality of the layers in terms of thermal resistance and transmittance. The building has a horizontal closure with a thermal resistance of 3.15 m²K/W and a thermal transmittance of 0.31 W/m²K. The use of the Waffle plate has allowed to increase the structural strength of the building with the same dimensions as the structural components. It can also be used for the passage of technological systems.

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Figure 50 General overview horizontal closure and transparent/opaque vertical closure..

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BUILDING SERVICES

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5. BUILDING SERVICES

5.1 Data Center Design

This section will describe the guidelines that accompanied the data center design process. Furthermore, the consumption of the data deriving from the data center inside the architectural body will be explained.

5.1.1 Data Center Design Characters

The design of the data center has considered five main keywords: Performance, Time, Space, Experience, Sustainability. In terms of performance, various aspects were considered in the data center design such as the number of cabinets needed, the consumption of each, and how much the consumption of a data center affects the consumption of the entire building. About the time, in the design it is considered the changes in the time in which the data center is subjected and consequently the design requirements such as the possibility of changing the systems and therefore an accessibility that allows the replacement and updating of the elements in the data center or a considerable empty space that will accommodate future requests for new space for new cabinets. In the case of a data center, space and time are complementary factors. In fact, a data center provides the spaces that must maintain their type, this due to that they are replaced by numerous changes ranging from the replacement of elements to the addition of others. These changes require a space capable of maintaining the same typology throughout the life cycle of the spaces and at the same time being versatile and able to adapt to the changes that the same space is subject to. Data center spaces do not necessarily have to be invisible to users outside a data center space. A data center can be designed in a way that an external user can identify the space where the data center is present, contributing to the experience of living an anthropic space. A data center requires a lot of power but this does not mean that a data center can not have sustainable characters. There are a lot of design and construction choice that can attribute to a data center these character like: the choice of the site in which to place a data center, the characteristics of the architectural architecture that houses the data center, the sources from which the energy necessary for its operation derives and the management of the life cycle. Having

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ascertained that the site is suitable for the location of a data center, it is possible to proceed with the study of the interior spaces.

Figure 51 2D picture for cabinet allocation in which 42 inches are equal to 106.68 cm, 3 feet is

equal to 91.44, 4 feet is equal to 121.92 .

https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19095-01/sfv890.srvr/816-1613-14/index.html

The cabinet in a data center need a constant and high ventilation. For this reason, cold air is constantly circulated so that it will reach all the toilets and in all their height. In the same way, the hot water extracted from the spaces in order to avoid excessive overheating that compromises the operation of the data center.

Figure 52 3D picture about the ventilation system.

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Rapid-Three-Dimensional-Thermal-Characterization-of-Hamann-Lacey/bc558f687e09d55491aa3d8aff81363ad1242a8a/figure/1

The construction details must be included in particular the necessary ventilation needs and it is always necessary to provide a space for ventilation every two

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rows. The two rows are then inserted between their corridors the “systems for the ventilation.” [41] “The design of a data center require specific features:

The data center must not be located next to any room that could cause moisture and air leakage;

The data center must be isolated from activities that could contaminate the environment;

The data center must have an adequate access from the loading dock, freight elevator, or other equipment entrances;

Provide secure points of entry to the data center so that only the proper personnel have access to the equipment;

The data center requires an adequate air conditioning equipment for check always temperature and humidity;

The data center must have a constant airflow; Raised flooring; A data center requires a floor to ceiling minimum height of 8 feet 6 inches

(259 cm); provide adequate room at the front and back of cabinets and racks to allow

unobstructed servicing of the systems and clear passage for personnel. design the data center in a way that can accommodate future equipment

expansion.” [42]

5.1.2 Data Center Power

The cooling load necessary for a data center is around 1KW for square meter of gross surface. The space occupied by cabinets is the 35% of the total gross area in which there are the cabinets. Size of a cabinet: “42U” [43] 600 x 1000 (or 1050) x 2000 height

Figure 53 Cabinet U standard

https://gameandroid.tech/standard-data-center-cabinet-sizes/

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A cabinet = 600 ⋅ 1050 = 0.63 m² for each cabinet 0.63 = 35 % of the area that need each one

A tot = 0.63 + 0.63 ⋅ 75 % = 1,11 = total area, cabinet plus area that you need for each one

KW tot one cabinet = 1.11 ⋅ 1kW = 1,10 [kW]

For 10 cabinet need a total area of = 1.10 ⋅ 10 = 11 [m²] kW for 10 cabinet are = 11 [kW] 144 + 92 + 100 + 102 + 100 = 538 = Number of cabinets

538 ⋅ 1.11 [kW] = 591.80 [kW] just for the data center

11 [m²/kW] ⋅ 591.80 [kW] = 6’509.80 = [m²] of photovoltaic panels for 538 cabinets This means that there the data center as tipology need a lot of power and is impossible avoid this request of power. But is possible reduce the consume. A data center requires a sure font of energy. Normally in Europe, the use of a photovoltaic panel it isn’t very indicated due to the number of cloud and rainy days in one year. But in a desert the use of photovoltaic panel is a good choice and also there are not problems of space.

5.2 Winter Load

In the analysis of the building it is considered the total winter load and the total summer load. Due to the site area of the building, the total winter load is significantly lower than the total summer load. The steps for the calculation of the total winter load are:

1. Transmittance calculation for walls, ceiling, roof, door, window; 2. Surface transmittance; 3. Thermal bridge transmittance; 4. Ventilation transmittance; 5. Total winter load.

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5.2.1 Transmittance

For the transmittance the main packages present in our building have been identified and an abbreviation has been given for each one:

U-o1 = Floor (typical intermediate) U-o2 = Structural opaque wall U-o3 = Opaque wall with technical void U-o4 = Interior wall U-D1 = Door U-w1 = window U-o5 = Opaque wall

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105

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5.2.2 Surface Transmittance

R1 = Exhibition R2 = Corridor R3 = Female bathroom R4 = Male bathroom R5 = Dis. bathroom

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Q1 tot = 18’577.17 [W]

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5.2.3 Thermal Bridge Transmittance

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Q2 tot = 2’356.30 [W]

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5.2.4 Ventilation Transmittance

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Q3 tot = 10’860.17 [W]

5.2.5 Total Winter Load

Q winter load = 31’793.64 [W] = 31.79 [kW] for one typical floor.

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5.3 Summer Load

In our case, summer heat loads are much more important than winter thermal loads. This because in Alexandria the annual consumption deriving from the cooling of a building is higher than the annual consumption for the heating of the building.

5.3.1 Summer Load Calculation

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Maximum sensible load = 133’470.00 [W] Maximum latent load = 19’791.00 [W]

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5.3.2 Total Summer Load

Total summer load: Sensible load + latent load = 133.47 [kW] + 19.79 [kW] Q summer load = 153.26 [kW] for one typical floor

5.4 Heat Pump and HVAC System

This section draws attention on the HVAC system analysis section (heating, ventilation, air conditioning system) present throughout the building. Furthermore, on the heat pumps necessary for heating and cooling.

5.4.1 Heat Pump

Qtot for 28 floors:

Qtot28 = E1 = 153.26 [kW] ⋅ 28 = 4’291.28 [kW] Now we choose the heat pump and we see the COP (Coefficient of Performance) COP = 3 “The heat pump “Galletti V-IPER 380” has a COP around 3 and is for a maximum of 380 [kW]. Is an air-water machine. With EER = 3.16 Refrigeration power = Potenza frigorifera = 369 [kW] Absorbed power = Potenza assorbita = 115 [kW]” [44] “COP value of three means, for example, that for every kW of electricity consumed, the heat pump will return 3kW of thermal energy to the environment to be heated; one of these supplied by the electricity consumed and the other two kilowatt hours taken from the external environment. Energy Efficiency Classes Heat Pumps according to European Directive 2002/31 / EC:

A (better) COP> 3.60 B 3.60 = COP> 3.40 C 3.40 = COP> 3.20 D 3.20 = COP> 2.80 E 2.80 = COP> 2.60 F 2.60 = COP> 2.40 G (worst) 2.40 = COP” [45]

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COP = Energy useful / Energy input = E2 / Ei = 3.16 Power useful is equal to:

E2 = E1 + 25% ⋅ E1 → E2 = 4’291.28 [kW] + 25% ⋅ 4’291.28 [kW] = 5'364.10 [kW] Now COP is known, power useful is known. Refrigeration power of one heat pump is known. So we can suppose we need four heat pump and check through the calculation of the power input.

Power input = E2 + Absorbed power of one heat pump ⋅ 16 = 5'364.10 [kW] + 115 ⋅ 22 [kW] = 7’894.10 [kW]

Heat pump power = 380 ⋅ 22 [kW] = 8’360.00 [kW] 8’360.00 [kW] > 7’894.10 [kW] So our product is confirmed as the system which will be installed in our project. We need 22 heat pump for the HVAC system of all the building which consume 7’894.10 [kWh].

5.4.2 Flow Rate from the Heat Pump

For our building we use a heat pump system where each heat pump has a flow rate of 65’672.00 [l/h].

Q = 0.785 ⋅ D ⋅ D ⋅ V

Q = flow rate = 65’672 [l/h] = 65’672 ⋅ 0.001 / 3600 = 0.01824 [m³/s] V = speed = 1.5 m/s D = internal diameter = ? D = 124.50 [mm] Now we can choose the conduit.

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Figure 54 Relation between diameter and slope.

https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/portata-80.htm

150 DN = for one heat pump For one heat pump is necessary one conduit with an 150 DN.

5.5 Building Energy Demand

At this point, data center consumption, winter thermal loads and summer thermal loads referring to a standard plan were defined. Now that the power is known, it is possible to define the consumption of the entire building and the energy. “If [W] unit is to consider as power unit, [Wh] unit is to consider as energy unit.” [46] The total winter load for one typical floor is 31.79 [KW] and the total summer load for one typical floor is 153.26 [KW]. We can consider for the the total winter load of 28 floor, 28 times 31.79 [KW]. So we can consider as total winter load for all the building 890.12 [KW]. In the same way, we can consider for the the total summer load of 28 floor, 28 times 153.26 [KW]. So we can consider as total summer load for all the building 4’291.28 [KW].

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The building is active every day of the year for 18 hours, except for the data center which is active every day of the year 24 hours a day. In particular the HVAC is active to heat the building only for 60 days and for 18 hours a day. The HVAC system is active for cooling 305 days a year for 18 hours a day. Winter energy for one year = Ew = Pw ∙ hours/days ∙ days/year Ew = 890.12 [KW] ∙ 18 ∙ 60 = 961’329.60 [kWh/year] Ew = 961.33 [MWh/year] Summer energy for one year = Es = Ps ∙ hours/days ∙ days/year Es = 4’291.28 [KW] ∙ 18 ∙ 305 = 23’559’127.20 [kWh/year] Es = 23’559.13 [MWh/year] Data center energy for one year = Edc = Pdc ∙ hours/days ∙ days/year Ed = 3’197.32 [KW] ∙ 24 ∙ 365 = 5’184’168.00 [kWh/year] Ed = 5’184.17 [MWh/year] So the total consume is the sum of the total winter load, the toal summer load and the consume of the data center. This sum is equal to 29’704.62 [MWh/year].

5.6 Wind and Photovoltaic Power

The building will use in part wind energy, and in part photovoltaic energy. These two types of energy are the most available energy resources in the site area. The wind energy will be of 7’877.87 [MWh/year] and the photovoltaic energy will be of 24’000.00 [MWh/year]. The sum of the wind energy and of the photovoltaic energy is the total energy production and must be higher than the energy demand of the building. The total energy production for the building is of 31’877.87 [MWh/year].

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5.6.1 Wind Energy

For the calculation of the wind energy it is considered the following elements: A = Swept area brushed by the helix oriented perpendicularly to the wind direction; v = wind speed; q = the air density, equal to 1.2 [kg∙m / m3].

The theoretical power available is possible to calculate with the following formula: Pt = 1/2 ∙ v3 ∙ A ∙ q

“The chosen wind turbine is called “WTG ATB 500.4”. From the technical sheet is possible check that the swept area brushed by the helix oriented perpendicularly to the wind direction is of 2’290 m².” [47]

Figure 55 Wind turbine definitions.

http://www.soleai.com/wind-power.php

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About the wind speed is necessary do wind analysis of the site area. About wind we know that the main direction is from the North, North-West.

Figure 56 Alexandria wind direction.

https://www.meteoblue.com/it/tempo/previsioni/modelclimate/alessandria-d%27egitto_egitto_361058

Figure 57 Alexandria wind direction.

https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?FMM=1&FYY=1982&LMM=12&LYY=2018&WMO=62318&CONT=afri&REGION=0011&LAND=EG&ART=WDR&R=0&NOREGION=0&LE

VEL=162&LANG=en&MOD=tab

And the average of the wind speed is 14.5 kph. 14.5 kph = 14.5 Km/h = 4.03 m/sec. That wind in accord with the Beaufort scale is as definition an light air.

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Figure 58 Alexandria wind speed.

https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?LANG=en&PLZ=_____&PLZN=_____&WMO=62318&CONT=afri&R=0&LEVEL=162&REGION=0011&LAND=EG&MOD=tab&ART=WST

&NOREGION=0&FMM=1&FYY=1982&LMM=12&LYY=2018

Pt = 1/2 ∙ 4.033 ∙ 2’290 ∙ 1.2 = 89’929.44 [W] = 89.93 [KW] In accord with this number we want to install 10 wind turbines which are equal to 899.30 [KW]. This power is possible consider for all the hours and for all the year because the wind speed is an average of a period from January 1982 to December 2018 and of course for the calculation of the energy in one year. Turbines energy = Et = 899.30 [KW] ∙ 24 ∙ 365 = 7’877’868.00 [KWh/year] Et = 7’877.87 [MWh/year]

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5.6.2 Photovoltaic Power

“For the building the installation of the photovoltaic plant is planned with Sun Power E series E20-327-COM as photovoltaic panel. This photovoltaic module has a width of 104.6 cm and a length of 155.9 cm. As for the E20-327 type, the average module efficiency is 20.4%. The power is 327 W” [48]

It is assumed a photovoltaic system of 280 ∙ 280 [m²]. The number of modules is: 280 ∙ 280 [m²] / 1.63 [m²] = 48’099 modules The power of the photovoltaic system is: 48’099 ∙ 327 = 15’728’373.00 [W] = 15’728.37 [kW] Now we can calculate the power fo year of the system. Two methods are used to calculate the photovoltaic system. The first is an applicative calculation formula, the second is made with the support of a software called "PVGIS". About the first method, “The global formula to estimate the electricity generated in output of a photovoltaic system for each year is:

Ep = A ∙ r ∙ H ∙ PR Ep = Energy (kWh) A = Total solar panel Area (m²) r = solar panel yield or efficiency (%) H = Annual average solar radiation on tilted panels (shadings not included) PR = Performance ratio, coefficient for losses (range between 0.5 and 0.9, default value = (0.75) r = is the yield of the solar panel given by the ratio: electrical power (in kWp) of one solar panel divided by the area of one photovoltaic panel. Example: the solar panel yield of a PV module of 250 Wp with an area of 1.6 m² is 15.6%. Be aware that this nominal ratio is given for standard test conditions (STC): radiation=1000 W/m2, cell temperature=25 celcius degree, Wind speed=1 m/s, AM=1.5. The unit of the nominal power of the photovoltaic panel in these conditions is called "Watt-peak" (Wp or kWp=1000 Wp or MWp=1000000 Wp). H = is the annual average solar radiation on tilted panels. Between 200 kWh/m2. y (Norway) and 2600 kWh/m2.y (Saudi Arabia). Depends from inclination and orientation. PR = PR (Performance Ratio) is a very important value to evaluate the quality of a photovoltaic installation because it gives the performance of the installation independently of the orientation, inclination of the panel. It includes all losses.” [49]

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Example of detailed losses that gives the PR value (depends on the site, the technology, and sizing of the system):

Inverter losses (4% to 10 %); Temperature losses (5% to 20%); DC cables losses (1 to 3 %); AC cables losses (1 to 3 %); Shadings 0 % to 80% (specific to each site); Losses at weak radiation (3% to 7%); Losses due to dust, snow (2%); Other Losses.

Application of the formula:

Ep = A ∙ r ∙ H ∙ PR Ep = 280 ∙ 280 ∙ 20.1 % ∙ 2270 ∙ 0.75 = 26’828’676.00 [kWh/year] Ep = 26’828.68 [MWh/year] So the energy of the photovoltaic system for one year is of 26’828.68 [MWh/year]. Now we use the second method using "PVGIS" with the same input.

Figure 59 PVGIS input.

https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html

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Figure 60 PVGIS output.

https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html

Figure 61 PVGIS, Monthly energy output from the fix-angle PV system.

https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html

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Figure 62 PVGIS, outline of horizon with the sun height in June and in December.

https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html

The results is an yearly energy production of 24’000’000.00 [kWh/year]. Equal to 24’000.00 [Mwh/year]. With the same photovoltaic system extension, the one with the lowest value is given by "PVGIS". For this reason about the photovoltaic yearly energy production, will be used 24’000.00 [MWh/year].

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5.7 Bathroom Design

It is considered the most critical bathroom in the building, composition typical also for other floors. The bathroom is divided in female bathroom, male bathroom and dis. bathroom. It is calculated the water supply system for hot and cold water, the size of the pipe for the black water, the size for the pipe for the grey water. The length and the quotes have been checked and it is calculated also the size of the main vertical pipe for black eater and for grey water.

5.7.1 Water Supply System

Dimension of the water supply system, hot and cold water.

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5.7.2 Black Water

Dimension of the pipe for drainage system - black water.

Check of quotes and length for the drainage system - black water.

Dimension of main vertical pipe for drainage system - black water.

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5.7.3 Grey Water

Dimension of the pipe for drainage system - grey water.

Check of quotes and length for the drainage system - grey water.

Dimension of main vertical pipe for drainage system - grey water.

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5.7.4 Bathroom Drawing

In the following drawings is possible see the three different kind of pipes:

Water supply system for hot and cold water; Black water drainage system; Grey water drainage system.

The elements indicated are:

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Figure 63 Water Supply System drawing.

Figure 64 Grey Water and Black Water drawing.

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BIM

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6. BIM

6.1 Bim Process

The entire development process of the project was constantly accompanied by a development in BIM Environment that was able to absorb the structural and architectural characteristics that we wanted to pursue. This required the use of different software. In fact the BIM Environment is not to be understood as the use of a specific software, but is intended as the use of a set of interoperable software between them or plugins able to satisfy the needs of the project. The software applications that are considered necessary to gain the whole design are: Revit, Grasshoper, Honeybee & Ladybug, LCA and Midas. Revit was the fundamental basic software that allowed to carry out all the necessary analysis that go from the formal to the energy, to the materials. Grasshopper & Ladybug & Honeybee are three important plugins able to define all the energy analysis necessary to understand the context and the project. Rhinoceros formed the basis for the creation of 3D elements whose properties were later defined in Revit and supported Honeybee and Ladybug. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a software of particular importance that has allowed us to define the impact of our product in the environment in terms of issuing materials and recycling them. Midas is the main software that has supported us for all the structural and load analysis needed to define the project.

6.1.1 Revit

Revit was the fundamental basic software that allowed us to carry out all the necessary analysis from the form to the material.

Figure 65 Revit software logo. https://i-love-png.com/revit-ft.html

Revit model is an element that helped us to limit the problems may be seen only in the construction phase. In Revit it is possible to create an interoperable model. This occurs by importing and exporting the model to or from other software which means adding data to the elements representing the project of which it was impossible to define the real characteristics. Revit was the main model imported into Rhinoceros. The Rhinoceros’s model enabled Grasshopper to perform all the necessary analysis with Honeybee and Ladybug etc.

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6.1.2 Ladybug & Honeybee

The two plugins included elements that offer analysis with the help of other plugins such as Grasshopper, dynamo, etc. Grasshopper is a Rhinoceros’s plugin that provided a design tool able to simplify and solve complex problems.

Figure 66 Ladybug & Honeybee logo.

https://www.food4rhino.com/app/ladybug-tools

Ladybug & Honeybee are considered two very important Rhinoceros plugins able to define all the energy analysis necessary to understand the context and the project. The analysis carried out concerned the analysis of the area temperature, the control of the wind with the building, the shadows generated by the architectural volumes, the temperature of the ground. However, the analysis can be extended with the plugins for more analysis. The plugins allowed to carry out a temperature analysis. This analysis made it possible to become aware of the territory in which the set of architectural elements is inserted. The results of the temperature analysis are collected in two spectra. The first shows all the temperatures present at all hours of a day over a year with a range of colors ranging from blue (lowest temperature range) to red (highest temperature range). The second spectrum shows only the time slot during a year in which a temperature higher than 30 ° C. The results can allow to understand the context temperature recorded. It is often presenting temperatures above 30 ° C in the period between May and October.

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Figure 67 Exterior site temperature and most high site temperature value.

Another analysis that was carried out with the help of Revit and the related plugins, was concerning the ground temperature in Alexandria. The analysis of the soil inserted in relation with the soil temperature varying by the depth and different seasons. It can be seen that above 9 meters these temperatures become constant, around 20 ° C. This information will positively direct the design and distribution of its functions under the ground. Additionally, it helped us to know if we can use the underground water to cool down the interior space.

Figure 68 Underground temperature, Grasshoper script.

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Figure 69 Ground temperature, Honeybee & Ladybug.

Another analysis that saw the use of Revit plugins was the one that involved the analysis of the shadow generated by the architectural element. This analysis made it possible to include the space of the shadow affected by the building in the media during the course of a day. He also allowed us to see the intensity of the shadow through a range of colors ranging from yellow (absent shadow) to red. This analysis helped us to understand the best location for the underground spaces located inside the site plan in order to the make the spaces in a places where we have more shadow since in the summer time the weather is extremely hot.

Figure 70 Shadow analysis, Grasshopper script.

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Figure 71 Shadow analysis top view and global view, Honeybee & Ladybug.

Last analysis shows wind and dry wind temperature. These analyzes allowed the identification of the winds presenting in the area, their direction, their intensity, and dry bulb temperature.

Figure 72 Wind analysis, Grasshoper script.

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Figure 73 Wind rose on the left and wind drybulb temperature on the right, Honeybee &

Ladybug.

6.1.3 Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros formed the basis of the creation of 3D elements whose properties were later defined in Revit. The Rhino model cannot be considered as a BIM-oriented software, but it was particularly useful in the transition from the preliminary phase to a subsequent detail phase that required the use of a Revit model. Through Rhinoceros in fact a preliminary model was created in which it was possible to identify the architectural forms of the architectural complex. Rhinoceros has features that cannot be defined as BIM, but as a CAD software.

Figure 74 Rhinoceros logo.

https://www.trustradius.com/products/rhinoceros-3d/reviews

In fact, the imported rhino model was a fundamental basis for the Revit model. A fundamental basis to identify all the critical issues in terms of distribution of

plans and structure development at the level of detail. Rhinoceros also proved to be fundamental as a support to the analysis with Honeybee and Ladybug. In fact, the model imported into Rhinoceros formed a bridge between Revit and Honeybee and Ladybug. More precisely, between Rhinoceros and the two Honeybee and Ladybug plugins there is another plugin which is Grasshopper. This operation has demonstrated how the exposure of a file can bring to the project all the information that is deemed necessary through an effective interoperability of the software and the plugins.

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6.1.4 One Click LCA

One Click LCA (life cycle assessment) is a software of particular importance that has allowed us to define the impact of our product in the environment in terms of issuing materials and recycling them. LCA provided us with a general idea of the environmental impact of a specific building material and its life cycle assessments which led us to choosing the most suitable material in term of sustainability. For this reason, LCA has made a great contribution to the achievement of credits in LEED in the "Materials & Resources" section. An LCA student license has been provided to us by one click LCA.

Figure 75 One Click LCA logo.

https://www.oneclicklca.com/

Since many credits have been missed to obtain from other categories in LEED checklist, Blackbox tried hard to gain as much credit as possible in the Material and Resources category. The intent of this sector is to encourage adaptive reuse and optimize the Environmental performance of products and materials. There are four options to gain credits, two of them related to historical building and renovations which is not our concern. However, the third and fourth option is related to the building and material reuse from off site or on site, and Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessments, respectively. For new construction (buildings or portions of buildings), conduct a life-cycle assessment of the project’s structure and enclosure that demonstrates a minimum of 10% reduction, compared with a baseline building, in at least three of the six impact categories listed below, one of which must be global warming potential. No impact category assessed as part of the life-cycle assessment may increase by more than 5% compared with the baseline building. The unit used by LCA are:

Global warming, in kg CO2e; Acidification, in kg SO2e; Eutrophication, in kg PO4e; Formation of ozone of lower atmosphere, in kg Ethenee; Primary energy MJ.

Therefore, we considered some of the mentioned above categories to start the analysis. The analysis has been done by One Click LCA student version. The student license does not provide us with LEED standard to know how much credits we can achieve exactly. However, by comparing two different options, we found out the number of the credits. In Blackbox project, there are three sustainable elements that help us reach the highest credits compared to the baseline project. Two of them are vertical enclosures and one is horizontal enclosures.

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The three main and innovative elements present in the project are: acrylic, holodeck waffle slab and the use of the desert sand. Holdeck slab system helping us to use 50% less concrete. Using Acrylic instead of glass in some part of the project. This material has many advantages over glass that we can review:

“U-value for thermally insulated windows: 0.19 W/mK; Environment friendly; Weight: 1150-1190 kg/m³ (50% less than glass); Light transmittance: 92%; Resistance to mould growth; Stronger; No condensation.” [50]

Using the sand which is abundant in the site location to construct the 3D printed sand panels. Not only this material is sustainable, but also the thermal resistance of this material is high that is help us to keep the tower wasting less energy. Life-cycle assessment, EN-15978: Construction Materials (Baseline Project) The materials which can be seen in the table 1 is the material break down of the materials that were used as the baseline project. These materials were not modified to achieve the best and sustainable solution. However, in table 2, there are some materials that have been optimized. Therefore, our final result shows the most environmental friendly option of the BlackBox.

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Figure 76 Table 1. Provided by One Click LCA student version.

Life-cycle assessment, EN-15978: Construction Materials (sustainable solution)

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Figure 77 Table 2. Provided by One Click LCA student version.

The comparison between the baseline project and the sustainable version of the project showed us these statics: The statics show that we can gain five of five credits in Building Life-Cycle impact reduction. The other three subcategories has been fully achieved by the highest credits since the source and material mapping has been chosen from certified companies inside the One click LCA software.

6.1.5 Midas

Midas is the main software that has supported us for all the structural and load analysis needed to define the project. Midas software allowed us to carry out the structural calculations referred to the entire structure and to make the appropriate modifications to the project. Furthermore, the analysis carried out with Midas went hand in hand with the development of the model in Revit for the entire design process. This allowed us to analyze the complete model in all its aspects, not only architectural aspects but also structural ones thanks to the constant support of BIM software and the interoperability between software applications used during the project.

Figure 78 MIDAS logo.

https://www.midasoft.com/ebook/structural-analysis-guide

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This methodology allows to obtain a project able to dialogue different aspects and this happens also by to the help of BIM software applications. Midas has therefore made it possible to make all the necessary changes. In addition, the analysis are returned to the user who uses the software in a clear and legible manner in order to make the data provided by the software applications hierarchical and make the project feasible.

6.2 LEED

“LEED certification is a sustainability protocol and the abbreviation mean Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED certification can be applied to any type of building (commercial, residential, schools, hospitals and others) and covers both the design and construction phases.” [51] The certification focuses on different fields and for each one there are different items that require the requisites to obtain the credits. Some of these items are a prerequisite. The sum of the credits achieved sets the LEED certification level obtained. There are 4 LEED certification levels and they are defined on the basis of how much credits each project can gains. The certifications can be of four typologies: “certificate (range of credits from 40 to 49); silver (range of credits from 50 to 59); gold (range of credits from 60 to 79); platinum (range of credits from 79 upwards).” [52] LEED certification also involves the production chain and suppliers. In fact the “products can be LEED certified” [53], or they can be mapped in order to identify the items in which the product can help in pursuing the claims and in which ways. “The LEED certification is promoted by the Green Building Council (GBC). GBC constitutes an international network that aims to promote LEED certification and the consequent process of market transformation. In fact, the certification system linked to the LEED and GBC brand identifies a market value for green buildings by stimulating competition between companies on the issue of environmental sustainability of buildings. It also encourages a new lifestyle that links the finished building and the end users.” [54]

6.2.1 LEED Credits Description

Each field has been viewed and assimilated to the project. The fields present in a LEED certification are:

“Location & Transportation; Sustainable Sites; Water Efficiency; Energy & Atmosphere; Materials & Resources; Indoor Environmental Quality; Innovation; Regional Priority.” [55]

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Location and transportation Leed for neighborhood Development Location The area is desertic. The area is not inside a boundary of a development certified under LEED for Neighborhood development. Credits: 0 Sensitive Land Protection Footprint development in the site area. Credits: 2 High priority Site The site is not inside an historic district and is not contaminated. Credits: 0 Surrounding Density and diverse Uses The surrounding is without inhabitants and is our building that is going to make the density. And the accessibility is only by the highway. Credits: 0 Access to Quality Transit The site is next to a highway and on the line of development of the railway that can connect our site area to the city of Alexandria. Credits: 0 Bicycle Facilities The area is not devoted for its features to a byke way for move. But instead that in the building could be develop a green mobility inside, there will be the right spaces for give possibility of move with bike and others green way to move. Credits: 0 Reduced Parking Footprint For reduce the parking Footprint it will be develope a bus system for connect the building to the next urban area and Alexandria. This instead of other ways to move like taxy or private car will reduce the CO2 emission. All the car parking are in an underground level. Credits: 1 Green Vehicles In the project will be the possibility of charge an electrical vehicle. Inside the project there will be electrical vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) in 2% of all parking spaces used inside the project. Parking spaces clearly identify and reserve these spaces for the sole use by plug-in electric vehicles. EVSE parking spaces must be provided in addition to preferred parking spaces for green vehicles. The EVSE must: 1. Provide a Level 2 charging capacity (208 – 240 volts) or greater.; 2. Comply with the relevant regional or local standard for electrical connectors; 3. Be networked or internet addressable and be capable of participating in a demand-response program. Credits: 1

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Sustainable Sites Construction Activity pollution Prevention Create and implement an erosion and sedimentation control plan for all construction activities associated with the project. The plan must describe the measures implemented. Credits: Prerequisite Site Assessment Complete and document a site survey or assessment1 that includes the following information: 1. Topography. 2. Hydrology. 3. Climate. 4. Vegetation. 5. Soils. 6. Human use. 7. Human health effects. The survey or assessment should demonstrate the relationships between the site features and topics listed above and how these features influenced the project design; give the reasons for not addressing any of those topics. Credits: 1 Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat Using native or adapted vegetation, restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously disturbed. Projects that achieve a density of 1.5 floor-area ratio may include vegetated roof surfaces in this calculation if the plants are native or adapted, provide habitat, promote biodiversity and restore the soil. Credits: 2 Open Space The project will have an outdoor space greater than or equal to 30% of the total site area (including building footprint). A minimum of 25% of that outdoor space must be vegetated (turf grass does not count as vegetation) or have overhead vegetated canopy. The outdoor space must be physically accessible and will be: 1. a pedestrian-oriented paving or turf area with physical site elements that accommodate outdoor social activities; 2. a garden space with a diversity of vegetation types and species that provide opportunities for year-round visual interest; 3. preserved or created habitat that meets the criteria of SS Credit Site Development—Protect or Restore Habitat and also includes elements of human interaction. Credits: 1 Rainwater Management All the rain water will be reused for decrease the request of the water inside the building like for the vegetation inside the building. In a manner best replicating natural site hydrology processes, manage on site the runoff from the developed site for the 95th percentile of regional or local rainfall events using low-impact development (LID) and green infrastructure. Credits: 2 Heat Island Reduction More than 75% of the total parking spaces are under cover. Credits: 1

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Light Pollution Reduction To reduce light pollution, light intensities will be used and the shells that will want to keep the total lack of luminous anthropic elements in the interior of the territory in which the building is inserted. Also follow in accord with the LEED certification roles about: 1. maximum percentage of total lumens emitted above horizontal, by lighting zone; 2. the maximum vertical illuminance at lighting boundary by lighting boundary. Credits: 1

Water Efficiency Outdoor Water Use Reduction The project’s landscape water requirement will be reduced more than 30% from the calculated baseline for the site’s peak watering month. Reductions must be achieved through plant species selection and irrigation system efficiency, as calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense Water Budget Tool. Credits: Prerequisite Indoor Water Use Reduction Particular attention will be paid to the sizing of all the hydraulic system terminals of the building and in particular attention will be paid to the methods and times of use. Credits: Prerequisite Building-Level Water Metering Installation of permanent water meters that measure the total potable water use for the building and associated grounds. Meter data must be compiled into monthly and annual summaries; meter readings can be manual or automated. Credits: Prerequisite Outdoor Water Use Reduction Reduce the project’s landscape water requirement by at least 50% from the calculated baseline for the site’s peak watering month. Reductions must first be achieved through plant species selection and irrigation system efficiency as calculated in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense Water Budget Tool. Credits: 0 Indoor Water Use Reduction Further reduce fixture and fitting water use from the calculated baseline in WE Prerequisite Indoor Water Use Reduction. Additional potable water savings can be earned above the prerequisite level using alternative water sources. Include fixtures and fittings necessary to meet the needs of the occupants. Some of these fittings and fixtures may be outside the tenant space (for Commercial Interiors) or project boundary (for New Construction). Credits: 0

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Cooling Tower Water Use Limit cooling water tower cycles to avoid exceeding maximum values for any of parameters like Ca, total alkalinity, SiO2, Cl-, conductivity. This through calculation of the number of cooling tower cycles by dividing the maximum allowed concentration level of each parameter by the actual concentration level of each parameter found in the potable makeup water. Credits: 0 Water Metering Install permanent water meters for the following water subsystems, as applicable to the project: 1. Indoor plumbing fixtures and fittings. Meter water systems serving at least 80% of the indoor fixtures and fitting described in WE Prerequisite Indoor Water Use Reduction, either directly or by deducting all other measured water use from the measured total water consumption of the building and grounds. 2. Domestic hot water. Meter water use of at least 80% of the installed domestic hot water heating capacity (including both tanks and on-demand heaters). Credits: 0

Energy and Atmosphere Fundamental Commissioning and Verification The building will complete the following commissioning (Cx) process activities for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and renewable energy systems and assemblies, in accordance with ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005 and ASHRAE Guideline 1.1–2007 for HVAC&R Systems, as they relate to energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability. The commissioning autorithy will verify the goals and produce documentation which will support and confirm the verification. Credits: Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance For the data center is demonstrate a 5% improvement in the proposed performance rating over the baseline performance rating. It was determined the total energy cost savings, create two models, one for building energy cost and the other for IT equipment energy cost. It was alculated the baseline building performance according to ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1–2010, Appendix G, with errata (or a USGBC-approved equivalent standard for projects outside the U.S.), using a simulation model for the whole building and data center modeling guidelines. It was detemrined the power utilization effectiveness (PUE) value of the proposed design. For data centers, regulated energy includes cooling units for computer and data processing rooms, critical power conditioning equipment, critical distribution equipment, heat rejection plants, and mechanical and electrical support rooms. Credits: Prerequisite

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Building-Level Energy Metering In the building is considered the installation of a building-level energy meters, that can be aggregated to provide data representing total building energy consumption (electricity, natural gas, chilled water, steam, fuel oil, propane, biomass, etc). Utility-owned meters capable of aggregating building-level resource use are acceptable. Commit to sharing the resulting energy consumption data and electrical demand data (if metered) for a five-year period beginning on the date the project accepts LEED certification. At a minimum, energy consumption must be tracked at one-month intervals. Credits: Prerequisite Fundamental Refrigerant Management The building will not use chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerants in new heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems. Credits: Prerequisite Enhanced Commissioning The commissioning authority must review and verify documents regards commissioning process activities for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and renewable energy systems and assemblies in accordance with ASHRAE Guideline 0–2005 and ASHRAE Guideline 1.1–2007 for HVAC&R systems, as they relate to energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability. The Commissioning Autorithy must do the following: 1. Review contractor submittals. 2. Verify inclusion of systems manual requirements in construction documents. 3. Verify inclusion of operator and occupant training requirements in construction documents. 4. Verify systems manual updates and delivery. 5. Verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness. 6. Verify seasonal testing. 7. Review building operations 10 months after substantial completion. 8. Develop an on-going commissioning plan. In addition for the data center with a peak cooling loads more than 600,000 Btu/h (175 kW), the Commissioning Autorithy must conduct at least three verification reviews of the basis of design. Credits: 6 Optimize Energy Performance Percentage improvement than the baseline more than 50%, to demonstrate through a whole building energy simulation. Credits: 18 Advanced Energy Metering Installation of an advanced energy metering for the following: 1. all whole-building energy sources used by the building; 2. any individual energy end uses that represent 10% or more of the total annual consumption of the building. Credits: 1

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Demand Response On-site electricity generation does not meet the intent of this credit. Credits: 0 Renewable Energy Production Our building will have a renewable energy production which is more than 10%. The percentage of renewable energy is calculate with the following equation: % renewable energy = (Equivalent cost of usable energy produced by the renewable energy system) / (Total building annual energy cost) Credits: 3 Enhanced Refrigerant Management The building will use only refrigerants that have an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of zero and a global warming potential (GWP) of less than 50. Credits: 1 Green Power and Carbon Offsets The percentage of green power or offsets based on the quantity of energy consumed is 100%. Credits: 2

Materials and Resources Storage and Collection of Recyclables Provide dedicated areas accessible to waste haulers and building occupants for the collection and storage of recyclable materials for the entire building. Collection and storage areas are separate locations. Recyclable materials include paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals. In addition will take in consideration appropriate measures for the safe collection, storage, and disposal of batteries and electronic waste. Credits: Prerequisite Construction and Demolition Waste Management Planning Develop and implement a construction and demolition waste management plan. This means establish waste diversion goals for the project by identifying at least five materials (both structural and nonstructural) targeted for diversion. Approximate a percentage of the overall project waste that these materials represent. Specify which material will be separated or comingled and describe the diversion strategies planned for the project. Describe where the material will be taken and how the recycling facility will process the material. Provide a final report detailing all major waste streams generated, including disposal and diversion rates. Credits: Prerequisite Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction On the construction will be conducted a life-cycle assessment of the project’s structure and enclosure that demonstrates a minimum of 10% reduction, compared with a baseline building, in at least three of the six impact categories listed below, one of which must be global warming potential. No impact category

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assessed as part of the life-cycle assessment may increase by more than 5% compared with the baseline building. The baseline and proposed buildings must be of comparable size, function, orientation, and operating energy performance as defined in EA Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance. The service life of the baseline and proposed buildings must be the same and at least 60 years to fully account for maintenance and replacement. Use the same life-cycle assessment software tools and data sets to evaluate both the baseline building and the proposed building, and report all listed impact categories. Data sets must be compliant with ISO 14044. Select at least three of the following impact categories for reduction: 1. Global warming potential (greenhouse gases), in kg CO2e; 2. Depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, in kg CFC-11; 3. Acidification of land and water sources, in moles H+ or kg SO2; 4. Eutrophication, in kg nitrogen or kg phosphate; 5. Formation of tropospheric ozone, in kg NOx, kg O3 eq, or kg ethene; 6. Depletion of nonrenewable energy resources, in MJ. Credits: 3 Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Environmental Product Declarations Multi attribute Optimization. Use products that comply with one of the criteria below for 50% of the total value (in terms of cost) of permanently installed products in the project. Products will be valued as below. Third party certified products that demonstrate impact reduction below industry average in at least three of the following categories are valued at 100% of their cost for credit achievement calculations. 1. Global warming potential (greenhouse gases), in CO2e; 2. Depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, in kg CFC-11; 3. Acidification of land and water sources, in moles H+ or kg SO2; 4. Eutrophication, in kg nitrogen or kg phosphate; 5. Formation of tropospheric ozone, in kg NOx, kg O3 eq, or kg ethane; and depletion of nonrenewable energy resources, in MJ. USGBC approved program -- Products that comply with other USGBC approved multi-attribute frameworks for credit achievement calculation, products sourced (extracted, manufactured, purchased) within 100 miles (160 km) of the project site are valued at 200% of their base contributing cost. Structure and enclosure materials not constitutes more than 30% of the value of compliant building products. Credits: 2 Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Sourcing of Raw Materials Use products that meet at least 25%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed building products in the project an extended producer responsibility. Products purchased from a manufacturer (producer) that participates in an extended producer responsibility program or is directly responsible for extended. Credits: 2 Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Material Ingredients Use building products for at least 25%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed products in the project that are sourced from product manufacturers who engage in validated and robust safety, health, hazard, and risk programs which

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at a minimum document at least 99% (by weight) of the ingredients used to make the building product or building material, are sourced from product manufacturers with independent third party verification of their supply chain that at a minimum verifies: 1. Processes are in place to communicate and transparently prioritize chemical ingredients along the supply chain according to available hazard, exposure and use information to identify those that require more detailed evaluation 2. Processes are in place to identify, document, and communicate information on health, safety and environmental characteristics of chemical ingredients 3. Processes are in place to implement measures to manage the health, safety and environmental hazard. 4. Processes are in place to optimize health, safety and environmental impacts. 5. Processes are in place to communicate, receive and evaluate chemical ingredient safety. 6. Safety and stewardship information about the chemical ingredients is publicly available. Credits: 2 Construction and Demolition Waste Management Reduction of total waste material. Do not generate more than 2.5 pounds of construction waste per square foot (12.2 kilograms of waste per square meter) of the building’s floor area. Credits: 2

Indoor Environmental Quality Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance Inside the building it will be guaranteed a minimum indoor air quality performance in a way that the comfort of the users it will be always in a high performances level. For mechanically ventilated spaces is to determine the minimum outdoor air intake flow for mechanical ventilation systems using a ventilation rate procedure. Credits: Prerequisite Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control It will be prohibited to smoke inside the building or next to it. Smoking is possible only outside of the building in designated areas. Credits: Prerequisite Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies To provide the indoor air ventilation quality (IAQ) and im prove the comfort, mechanically ventilated spaces: A. entryway systems; B. interior cross-contamination prevention; and C. filtration. Naturally ventilated spaces: A. entryway systems; and D. natural ventilation design calculations. Mixed-mode systems: A. entryway systems; B. interior cross-contamination prevention; C. filtration; D. natural ventilation design calculations; and E. mixed-mode design calculations. Credits: 0

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Low-Emitting Materials This credit includes requirements for product manufacturing as well as project teams. It covers volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in the indoor air and the VOC content of materials, as well as the testing methods by which indoor VOC emissions are determined. This means that interior paints and coatings applied on site must have a general Emissions Evaluation and a VOC content requirement for wet applied products. Interior adhesives and sealants applied on site must have a General Emissions Evaluation and a VOC content requirement for wet applied products. Composite wood must have a Composite Wood Evaluation. Ceilings, walls, thermal and acoustic insulation must have a General Emisisons Evaluation. Furniture must have a Furniture Evaluation. For number of compliant categories of products there are linked points. Credits: 0 Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan Develop and implement an indoor air quality (IAQ) management plan for the construction and preoccupancy phases of the building. In the project, will be protect absorptive materials stored on-site and installed from moisture damage. Credits: 1 Indoor Air Quality Assessment At construction finished and before occupancy will be conduct a baseline IAQ under ventilation conditions typical for occupancy. The baseline IAQ is made by using protocols consistent with the methods listed in LEED reference table for all occupied spaces. It will be used current versions of ASTM standard methods, EPA compendium methods, or ISO methods, as indicated. Laboratories that conduct the tests for chemical analysis of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds must be accredited under ISO/IEC 17025 for the test methods they use. Retail projects may conduct the testing within 14 days of occupancy. Demonstrate that contaminants do not exceed the concentration levels listed in the LEED reference table. Credits: 2 Thermal Comfort For regularly occupied spaces, particular attention will be paid to utilities and thermal comfort depending on the functions. Design heating, ventilating, air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and the building envelope meet the requirements of “ASHRAE Standard 55–2010, Thermal Comfort Conditions for Human Occupancy” with errata or a local equivalent. Credits: 1 Interior Lighting 1) For all regularly occupied spaces, use light fixtures with a luminance of less than 2,500 cd/m2 between 45 and 90 degrees from nadir. 2) For the entire project, use light sources with a CRI of 80 or higher. 3) For at least 75% of the

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total connected lighting load, use light sources that have a rated life (or L70 for LED sources) of at least 24,000 hours (at 3-hour per start, if applicable). 4) For at least 90% of the regularly occupied floor area, meet or exceed the following thresholds for area-weighted average surface reflectance: 85% for ceilings, 60% for walls, and 25% for floors. Credits: 0 Daylight The project has been demonstrated through annual computer simulations that spatial daylight autonomy of at least 55%, 75%, or 90% is achieved. Use regularly occupied floor area. Credits: 0 Quality Views In the project, a direct line of sight to the outdoors is achieved via vision glazing for 75% of all regularly occupied floor area. View glazing in the contributing area must provide a clear image of the exterior, not obstructed by frits, fibers, patterned glazing, or added tints that distort color balance. Credits: 0 Acoustic Performance For the spaces, acoustic materials have been taken into consideration so as to improve the experience in terms of hearing comfort, especially attention is paid to the large rooms present within building. All occupied spaces, meet the LEED requirements, as applicable, for HVAC background noise, sound isolation, reverberation time, and sound reinforcement and masking. Credits: 0

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Innovation

Innovation Credits: 0 LEED Accredited Professional Credits: 0

Regional Priority

Regional Priority: Specific Credit Credits: 0 Regional Priority: Specific Credit Credits: 0 Regional Priority: Specific Credit Credits: 0 Regional Priority: Specific Credit Credits: 0

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6.2.2 LEED Checklist

Having completed point by point analysis, in order to identify the LEED certification type, we collected and calculated all the credits. The analysis proved that it is possible to achieve type Silver LEED certification.

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The result summarized in the LEED checklist is 58 points equivalent to a "LEED silver" certification.

Figure 79 Types of LEED certification with highlighted certification that can be reached with the project.

https://www.everbluetraining.com/blog/how-become-leed-silver-certified-contractor

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7. CONCLUSION

ITALIANO

L'edificio è il risultato di una ricerca sull'interazione tra uomo e natura. Obiettivo costante è stato quello di creare una sinergia, un contatto tra di loro. Un progetto destinato a soddisfare le esigenze di una territory in un profondo cambiamento come quello di Alessandria. Un progetto che ha voluto creare lo spazio disponibile per cittadini e visitatori che vogliono scoprire il patrimonio storico e culturale egiziano. È il risultato di un'interazione progettuale tra diversi campi come il campo della ricerca architettonica, la struttura, i materiali, la sostenibilità dei sistemi tecnologici e i metodi di progettazione. Nonostante la complessità dell'edificio, contiene anche un risultato che vuole una completa integrazione tra ciò che è l'ambiente naturale e l'ambiente artificiale. Un'integrazione che ha sempre fissato come unico obiettivo un equilibrio che non può mai essere considerato completamente raggiunto. Quell'equilibrio dato dall'uomo della natura, dato da uno studio continuo di quali sono i caratteri architettonici, la cultura e le caratteristiche di un territorio. Fattori che determinano l'attribuzione dell'elemento architettonico di unicità che lo rende specifico per un tempo specifico e uno spazio specifico. Un segno indelebile di quella continua ricerca architettonica che rende unico ogni elemento architettonico, che fa parte di una strada di campagna piuttosto che di una strada cittadina.

ENGLISH

The building is the result of a research about the interaction between man and nature. The building has had the constant goal of create a synergy, a contact between them. A project that was intended to accommodate the needs of a territory in a big change such as that of Alexandria. A project that wanted to create the space available to citizens and visitors who want to discover the Egyptian historical and cultural heritage. It is the result of a design interaction between different fields such as the field of architectural research, structure, materials, sustainability of technological systems and design methods. Despite the complexity of the building, it also contains a result that wants a complete integration between what is the natural environment and the artificial environment. An integration that has always set as its sole objective a balance that can never be considered completely achieved. That balance given by the man of nature, given by a continuous study of what are the architectural characters, the culture and the characteristics of a territory. Factors that result in attributing the architectural element of uniqueness that makes it specific to a specific time and a specific space. An indelible sign of that continuous architectural research that makes any architectural element unique, that is part of a country road rather than a city street.

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8. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the professors Maria Grazia Folli, Corrado Pecora, Giovanni Dotelli, Francesco Romano, Lavinia Chiara Tagliabue and all the collaborators. We thank the professors and collaborators for having accompanied us in the realization of the thesis, their support and their great availability. Their knowledge has stimulated a growing interest in all the subjects studied in us. We thank Professor Lorenza Petrini as coordinator of the course. Thanks to Parinaz Keramati for contributing to the realization of the thesis. We thank the family, without which we would not have had the opportunity to reach the academic goal achieved.

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9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

ARCHITECTURE

10. FIGURES REFERENCE

Figure 1 Map of Alexandria with the main urbanistic elements. Own production based on GOPP map Figure 1A Hellenistic Civilization in Alexandria The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age (1990)

Figure 1B Canopic Way in Alexandria Hellenistic Civilization, 3rd ed. (1952, reissued 1975)

Figure 2 Deir El Bahri temple complex. https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/ Figure 3 Pyramid complex of Amenemhat III or Dashur Pyramid complex. https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/ Figure 4 Amun-Ra at Karnak Temple. https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/ Figure 5 Lighthouse of Alexandria illustration https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Architecture/ Figure 6 Growth in the 19th and early 20th century. Alexandria 2005 Comprehensive Plan, Final Report, January 1984 – Sketch by M. Montasser Figure 7 Structure and land use conditions in 1983. Alexandria 2005 Comprehensive Plan, Final Report, January 1984 – Sketch by M. Montasser Figure 8 Squatter settlements in Alexandria (2004)

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Alexandria squatter Settlements Participatory Rapid Appraisal, April, 2005. Figure 9 Map of Unplanned and squatter settlements Areas in Alexandria. https://inta-aivn.org/images/cc/Transmed/AlexandriaContribution.pdf Figure 10 Touristic Housing in Alexandria https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/AlexandriaDatabase/Reports.aspx Figure 11 The State of the Environment in Alexandria https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/AlexandriaDatabase/Reports.aspx Figure 12 Transportation network in Alexandria. https://www.bibalex.org/alexmed/AlexandriaDatabase/Reports.aspx Figure 13 The site area is between new El Alamein and Alexandria. https://www.google.com/maps Figure 80 Kircher’s vision of the Tower of Babel. Picture from his book Turris Babel, 1679 https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/highlight-from-the-stacks-kirchers-tower-of-babel-1679/ Figure 15 The first main structural grid with an interval of 10 meters. Figure 16 The second main structural grid with an interval of 10 meters. Figure 17 Main reference lines. Figure 18 Roof slab layers. Figure 19 Intermediate slab layers Figure 20 Load on one secondary beam. Figure 21 Load area on one secondary beam Figure 22 Loads scheme considered for secondary beam. Figure 23 Rebars table.

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https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/tondi_sezionexnumero.htm Figure 24 Secondary beam section. Figure 25 Load on one primary beam. Figure 26 Loads scheme considered for primary beam. Figure 27 Rebars table. https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/tondi_sezionexnumero.htm Figure 28 Primary beam section. Figure 29 Load area on one column. Figure 30 Scheme considered for the wind on the column. Figure 31 Rebars table. https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/peso_tondi.htm Figure 32 column section. Figure 33 From the left to the right: primary beam section, secondary beam section, column section. Figure 34 A part of the Midas model in Hidden Geometry mode. Figure 35 Columns Section Figure 36 Diagrid section Figure 37 Steel Code checking Result Ratio. (Combined) Figure 38 Midas model, Z-displacement. Figure 39 Midas model, a horizontal beam deformation. Figure 40 Columns scheme

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Figure 41 Buckling check Figure 42 Exterior walls façade concept. Figure 43 A sample project where GFRC used for its façade. http://www.pre-cast.org/gfrc_details.asp Figure 44 Spray-Up application. https://timberridgedesigns.com/gfrc-countertops-the-diy-solution/ Figure 45 3D printed sand https://www.ha-international.com/content/about_us/article_1.aspx Figure 46 3D printing with sand material https://www.3dnatives.com/en/3d-printing-construction-310120184/ Figure 47 The underwater color of acrylic on the left and of glass on the right. https://www.hydrosight.com/glass-vs-acrylic-a-comparison Figure 48 Finite material cubes. https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/24/desert-sand-could-offer-low-carbon-concrete-alternative/ Figure 49 Waffle slab. Art Gallery of New South Wales. 1977 / Photo Max Dupain http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/dupain/for-media/art-gallery.aspx Figure 50 General overview with transparent vertical closure, opaque vertical closure, and horizontal closure. Figure 51 2D picture for cabinet allocation in which 42 inches are equal to 106.68 cm, 3 feet is equal to 91.44, 4 feet is equal to 121.92 . https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19095-01/sfv890.srvr/816-1613-14/index.html Figure 52 3D picture about the ventilation system. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Rapid-Three-Dimensional-Thermal-Characterization-of-Hamann-Lacey/bc558f687e09d55491aa3d8aff81363ad1242a8a/figure/1 Figure 53 Cabinet U standard

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https://gameandroid.tech/standard-data-center-cabinet-sizes/ Figure 54 relation between diameter and slope. https://www.oppo.it/tabelle/portata-80.htm Figure 55 Wind turbine definitions. http://www.soleai.com/wind-power.php Figure 56 Alexandria wind direction. https://www.meteoblue.com/it/tempo/previsioni/modelclimate/alessandria-d%27egitto_egitto_361058 Figure 57 Alexandria wind direction. https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?FMM=1&FYY=1982&LMM=12&LYY=2018&WMO=62318&CONT=afri&REGION=0011&LAND=EG&ART=WDR&R=0&NOREGION=0&LEVEL=162&LANG=en&MOD=tab Figure 58 Alexandria wind speed. https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?LANG=en&PLZ=_____&PLZN=_____&WMO=62318&CONT=afri&R=0&LEVEL=162&REGION=0011&LAND=EG&MOD=tab&ART=WST&NOREGION=0&FMM=1&FYY=1982&LMM=12&LYY=2018 Figure 59 PVGIS input. https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html Figure 60 PVGIS output. https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html Figure 61 PVGIS, Monthly energy output from the fix-angle PV system. https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html Figure 62 PVGIS, outline of horizon with the sun height in June and in December. https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html Figure 63 Water Supply System drawing. Figure 64 Grey Water and Black Water drawing. Figure 65 Revit software logo. https://i-love-png.com/revit-ft.html

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Figure 66 Ladybug & Honeybee logo. https://www.food4rhino.com/app/ladybug-tools Figure 67 Exterior site temperature and most high site temperature value. Figure 68 Underground temperature, Grasshoper script. Figure 69 Ground temperature, Honeybee & Ladybug. Figure 70 Shadow analysis, Grasshopper script. Figure 71 Shadow analysis top view and global view, Honeybee & Ladybug. Figure 72 Wind analysis, Grasshoper script. Figure 73 Wind rose on the left and wind drybulb temperature on the right, Honeybee & Ladybug. Figure 74 Rhinoceros logo. https://www.trustradius.com/products/rhinoceros-3d/reviews Figure 75 One Click LCA logo. https://www.oneclicklca.com/ Figure 76 Table 1. Provided by One Click LCA student version. Life-cycle assessment, EN-15978: Construction Materials (sustainable solution) Figure 77 Table 2. Provided by One Click LCA student version. Figure 78 MIDAS logo. https://www.midasoft.com/ebook/structural-analysis-guide Figure 79 Types of LEED certification with highlighted certification that can be reached with the project. https://www.everbluetraining.com/blog/how-become-leed-silver-certified-contractor