196,440 research outputs found
A2R+M From Architecture and Urban Design
No full textIntroduction to the Architecture and Urban Design Framework of the boo
Adaptive by Nature
No full textIn light of the pressing realities posed by climate change, there is an increasingly urgent need to re-evaluate individual responsibilities, develop effective adaptive models, and establish governance frameworks
that are vital for our collective survival (Folke, 2006; Walker et al., 2004). At its core, adaptation signifies a decisive and necessary undertaking, allowing both natural organisms and human-made environments
to persevere and maintain their functionality in the face of external pressures (Adger et al., 2005). In this context, adaptation is not merely reactive but appears to be an intrinsic predisposition – a capacity seemingly endowed by nature itself. This perspective aligns with the view that biological and built systems possess inherent resilience, allowing them to adjust dynamically as challenges evolve (Berkes & Folke, 1998). Such an approach resonates with contemporary frameworks in design and sustainability, which emphasise the integration of adaptive and regenerative practices into planning and policy (Mang & Reed, 2020)
Herschel-ATLAS : deep HST/WFC3 imaging of strongly lensed submillimetre galaxies
No full textThis work is supported by STFC (grants PP/D002400/1 and ST/G002533/1)We report on deep near-infrared observations obtained with the Wide Field Camera-3 (WFC3) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) of the first five confirmed gravitational lensing events discovered by the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS). We succeed in disentangling the background galaxy from the lens to gain separate photometry of the two components. The HST data allow us to significantly improve on previous constraints of the mass in stars of the lensed galaxy and to perform accurate lens modelling of these systems, as described in the accompanying paper by Dye et al. We fit the spectral energy distributions of the background sources from near-IR to millimetre wavelengths and use the magnification factors estimated by Dye et al. to derive the intrinsic properties of the lensed galaxies. We find these galaxies to have star-formations rates (SFR) ∼ 400–2000 M⊙ yr−1, with ∼(6–25) × 1010 M⊙ of their baryonic mass already turned into stars. At these rates of star formation, all remaining molecular gas will be exhausted in less than ∼100 Myr, reaching a final mass in stars of a few 1011 M⊙. These galaxies are thus proto-ellipticals caught during their major episode of star formation, and observed at the peak epoch (z ∼ 1.5–3) of the cosmic star formation history of the Universe.Peer reviewe
Designing the adaptation. The resilience of urban agriculture in the European context
No full textI crescenti fenomeni legati al cambiamento climatico spingono le città a sviluppare pia- ni di resilienza che possano rispondere in termini di sostenibilità ambientale, sociale ed economica. Le strategie nature-based possono rappresentare una soluzione; tra que- ste l’agricoltura urbana può contribuire ad aumentare la resilienza dei tessuti urbani europei. Questa attività è stata più volte oggetto di interesse in periodi di crisi come impegno comunitario dai caratteri sociali, oltre che produttivi ed educativi. Attraverso un excursus storico e una successiva analisi di casi studio contemporanei, il paper for- nisce strumenti progettuali per intervenire nel costruito con strategie che spaziano dal- la scala urbana a quella dell’architettura. Il saggio presenta un approccio morfo-tipolo- gico replicabile che può essere applicato e utilizzato da progettisti e policy-makers al fine di incrementare la resilienza urbana.The growing phenomena linked to climate change pushes cities to develop resilience plans to respond to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Nature-based strategies can be a solution; among these, urban agriculture can increase the resilience of European urban fabrics. This activity has been the object of interest several times during crises or as a community activity with social, productive, and educational char- acteristics. Through a historical excursus and a subsequent analysis of contemporary case studies, the paper provides design tools for intervening in the built environment with strategies ranging from the urban to the architectural scale. The essay presents a replicable morpho-typological approach that can be applied and used by planners and policymakers to increase urban resilience
Cosmic dichotomy in the hosts of rapidly star-forming systems at low and high redshifts
No full textThis paper presents a compilation of clustering results taken from the literature for galaxies with highly enhanced (SFR ~= [30-103] M&sun; yr-1) star formation activity observed in the redshift range z = [0-3]. We show that, irrespective of the selection technique and only very mildly depending on the star-forming rate, the clustering lengths of these objects present a sharp increase of about a factor 3 between z ˜ 1 and z ˜ 2, going from values of ˜5 Mpc to about 15 Mpc and higher. This behaviour is reflected in the trend of the masses of the dark matter hosts of star-forming galaxies which increase from ˜1011.5 to ˜1013.5 M&sun; between z ˜ 1 and z ˜ 2. Our analysis shows that galaxies which actively form stars at high redshifts are not the same population of sources we observe in the more local universe. In fact, vigorous star formation in the early universe is hosted by very massive structures, while for z ≲ 1 a comparable activity is encountered in much smaller systems, consistent with the downsizing scenario. The available clustering data can hardly be reconciled with merging as the main trigger for intense star formation activity at high redshifts. We further argue that, after a characteristic time-scale of ˜1 Gyr, massive star-forming galaxies at z ≳ 2 evolve into z ≲ 1.5 passive galaxies with large (M* ~= [1011-1012] M&sun;) stellar masses
Experimenting with adaptive architecture: Tools for climate-responsive design
No full textThis chapter explores adaptive architecture as a climate-responsive design approach, operationalising a more-than-human and regenerative agenda through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) supported by microclimate modelling. A university campus in Turin (Politecnico di Torino) is analysed as a living laboratory where compact, low-vegetated historical courtyards coexist with more open and greener recent expansions. Campus-wide simulations in ENVI-met 5.1 (810×810×40 m) reproduce peak heat-stress conditions on 25 July 2022 using meteorological inputs from the closest ARPA Piemonte station; pedestrian thermal stress is assessed via PET. Results identify the historical inner courtyards as critical hotspots due to canyon geometry, trapped radiation, limited airflow, and low-albedo surfaces. A representative courtyard (DIATI; TO_CEN02_U026) is then modelled in detail with ENVI-met 5.7.1 and tested with NbS (dense mini-forests, increased permeable/vegetated surfaces, high-SRI permeable paving, rain garden, and rainwater harvesting). The proposed scenario improves microclimatic performance, notably reducing PET by 32.48% and lowering surface temperatures, with the strongest benefits in previously unshaded areas near exposed façades
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