SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 8th June (EUROPA PRESS) –
A cohort of second-year students enrolled in the Architecture programme at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) recently paid a visit to the LivingLab Casas Bioclimáticas to gain first-hand insights into the operations conducted at the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energy (ITER), situated in Granadilla.
The Minister of Innovation, Research, and Development, Juan José Martínez, emphasised that since its inception, ITER has been dedicated to sustainable architecture and the advancement of bioclimatic techniques suitable for warm climates: “We have an expansive laboratory like the LivingLab Bioclimatic Houses, which allows us to conduct research and educational activities regarding the significance of bioclimatism in regions like the Canary Islands. It is crucial for aspiring professionals to be acquainted with the projects we have undertaken and enhance their education.”
The students were welcomed by the head of ITER’s Sustainable Architecture department, María Delgado, and were accompanied by Dr María Eugenia Armas from ULPGC’s Architectural Construction department. The visit forms an integral part of the ‘Facilities I’ module, focusing on environmental conditioning covering aspects such as external environmental conditions (climate, psychrometry), internal environmental conditions (environmental comfort), and heat transmission through building structures.
The students were given a tour of houses that have been under monitoring for over 15 years to establish blueprint principles that can be replicated in warm climates. Each dwelling within the ITER LivingLab Bioclimatic Houses complex serves as an independent laboratory where the integration of bioclimatic solutions in the design is monitored to determine the essential parameters regulating the thermal comfort within the residence. The students also displayed a keen interest in the methods employed to incorporate renewable energy sources into each of the 24 houses, providing valuable insights into their feasibility within the building structures.
