HAIFAIR
Helen Hümmer, Justa Jasaytite
Jerusalem // 2023
Haifair is an urban housing project that responds to the air pollution crisis in Haifa and attempts to create the lowest possible emission architecture for the design of a new SuperBlock in the harbour area, which also contributes to improving air quality with the help of titanium dioxide technology. The final design can be almost seen as a dystopia, and its calculated dimensions in contrast to the rest of the cityscape make it clear that the problem of air pollution cannot be solved by a single piece of architecture.
The project was supervised by Ben Drusinsky and Prof. Aiman Tabony and presented in the form of a short film.
Haifa Bay is the largest industrial area in Israel and is responsible for above-average air pollution and cancer rates in the region. The main pollutants found there is so-called fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) which is a mixture of solid and liquid particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller.
To filter pollutants out of the air, we decided to use a method in which the building surfaces are coated with superfine titanium dioxide. It works as a photocatalyst to collect the pollution particles and convert them into carbon dioxide. The chemical reaction is activated by sun radiation. Afterwards, pure carbon dioxide is extracted and used to synthesize methanol. This happens during a catalytic reaction between hydrogen - produced by solar driven electrolysis of water - and CO2. The produced methanol is a liquid oxygenated hydrocarbon which can be stored and transported easily and used for the production of alternative biofuels. So the pollutants are harvested as resources and returned to the circulation.
To maximize the effect, the building surfaces need the largest possible exposure to wind and sun.
Using a generative algorithm, a simulation seeked for the best solution to maximize sun exposure, block the strong west wind and increase the surface area.
To create an inner shell for communal accomodation, the outer surface was offset. Subsequently, the points with maximum sun hours were dragged down which enables sunny areas on the ground. To distribute functions within the resulting block, we have undertaken area calculations for an emission-neutral way of living and producing. As we have organised living in the block in solidarity communities of 500 people, the areas assumed per capita were reduced by 40% in the overall
calculation.