January 11, 2011

Bio Tech House

The Bio Tech House, a concept home looking to the future, presented eight years ago by Zanotta with the project designed by Studio BPM; a pioneer and still an effective example of integration between nature, living spaces and technology.

Zanotta participated with the Bio Tech House in the exhibition 'Abitare il XXi secolo' that was held at 'Abitare il tempo' in Verona, September 2002. The project is a futuristic living layout, both in terms of living concept and highly efficient bio-climatic structure from an energy standpoint. Architects Fabrizio Bertero, Andrea Panto, and Simona Marzoli have integrated the proposal with vegetation, natural light, and warmth. The project was developed off of the concept of the Court of Mies van der Rohe; a garden in the heart of the house, a powerful core on which the rooms open. It also revisits the concept proposed by the group MVRDV at the Expo held in Hannover in 2000; a building in which vegetation is an integral part of an ecosystem that captures and transforms natural energy sources.











The Bio Tech House started as "a glass box which closes the perimeter. Within, a series of Opaline and transparent wood and glass partitions define four separate rooms, creating perspectives that unfailingly ensure a view of the garden, the element around which the living unit is developed. We created this model by introducing the self-cleaning glass Pilkington ActivTM, which exploits ultraviolet rays to decompose and dissolve organic dirt," says Bertero. "Chlorophyll photosynthesis is exploited to purify and oxygenate air, making the green space the lung of the house. The system works on three premises: natural lighting, a self-supplied garden in terms of water and compost, and recycling for air purification. Soon the integration of various domestic technological systems will enable users to interact with equipment in order to use them in an increasingly calibrated manner through perception of sound and heat. Self-directional instruments will automatically light up, change intensity and color, and even dissolve fragrances in the air, adjusting the room we enter to suit our lifestyle." Anticipating future needs, Zanotta’s Bio Tech House proposes functional integration of forms and materials, using vegetation to balance humidity and temperature, among other benefits.

"With the Bio Tech House project, we have anticipated sustainable design that has gained extensive market space in recent years. It has become trendy," says Marzoli. "Considering the detailed knowledge provided by evolution to bio-construction and sustainability, I think that if we were to work on the same project today, we would also take other aspects into account, such as a recovery system for rain water, photovoltaic panels, LED lamps and eco-paints to reduce air pollution. There is much that can be done to save both resources and energy and for the well being of everybody. Sustainable thinking and designing means making an important investment for the future."

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