The Sun-Shell Concept by Alon Shofman, Alicante, Spain 2017
The sunshell represents a breakthrough in the green housing industry. The Sunshell distinguishes itself from the “normal” Architecture with balanced relation between the environment and the buildings technologies. The idea behind the Sunshell Concept is to make a sustainable healthy housing and environmental integration symbol.
The architecture of the Sunshell lets green and healthy housing become more attractive and open. The solar energy, the form of all-year sun paths, topography, wind directions, and shading are all completely integrated into one architectural conceptual-form. The Sunshell has two major components which complete each other; The Glass-Core, that opens to the environmental space, and the Sunshell-Structure that consistently protects it with optimal usage of the sun’s energy. The Glass-Core is positioned with the best amount of indirect sunlight, making an ambient atmosphere in all spaces. Until now, big glass surfaces were “forbidden” because they wouldn’t accomplish better thermal results. But, due to the SUNSHELL, the glass exterior walls can be used for an outstanding open architecture with even better thermal results then the normal conventional green buildings. Those characters make the building adaptive to different core-designs, that are consistently being protected from the sun and connected to the environment.
A pool is integrated into the ground floor, between the open core and the sunshell. This lets the wind blow over the pool due to the tube effect of the shell construction. The wind then brings in healthy humidity that cools down and freshens the air in the spaces inside. Emphasizing the personal aspect, we believe it is important to create outstanding architecture while considering the process, the people who will inhabit it and how it will impact their lives later and forever. For example, by using Revit simulation tools to place preconfigured openings in the Sunshell 3D Modell, the person inhabiting this space can decide when and where in the core spaces, he wants to have direct sunlight, view, and wind.
This project is fully integrated with simulation tools in the conception process and in the validation and coordination processes. Through BIM in Revit, plugin tools such as Sefaira, Lighting Analysis and Climate Consultant we have accomplished the best study results to achieve a form that is optimized to have a maximal usage of the climate conditions and the suns energy. In cooperation with Daniel Bukowski