MODU conducts design-led research to develop innovative models of climate adaptation. Our research development leads to new forms of low energy architecture and cities.  

 

Self-Cooling Walls

In Houston’s hot climate, self-cooling concrete walls are cast with corrugation patterns that, when passed over by the wind, release solar heat more rapidly. More patterning is used for walls in direct sunlight to increase self-cooling.
The increased surface area of corrugations, along with the transpiration from abundant plants, create comfortable low-energy micro-climates.

We conducted tests using concrete panels heated in an oven and recorded with thermal imaging. Research showed different cooling rates based on each pattern, and a significant difference with a flat panel without corrugation. Passive design strategies improve outdoor comfort while creating a unique architectural identity.

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Indoor Terrace


New York City’s hot summers and cold winters demand a multi-season “weather room,” open during temperate seasons and enclosed otherwise. An indoor terrace creates a unique sensorial environment that changes with the seasons. The experience of being outdoors while inside requires careful integration of both low-energy passive and active technologies.

Large wall openings provide direct connections to nature in warm weather, but can be closed with “winter windows.” During cold weather, radiant heating in furniture provides warmth, which allows for extended winter use. In the summer, verdant plantings and misting systems lower the temperature for better indoor-outdoor living. 

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Horizontal City


Research of the horizontal city shifts emphasis from New York’s vertical identity to highlight its public floor. Experiences are translated from urban and environmental data into atmospheric drawings. Invisible boundaries reveal vast inequities of shade: higher-income neighborhoods have cooler micro-climates, with surface temperatures at times thirty degrees less than lower-income areas.

Mapping the city’s sidewalks and streets documents the seasonal shadows cast by permanent structures, like buildings and trees, and temporary ones, such as the private outdoor dining structures prompted by the pandemic. Highlighting these environmental boundaries underscores the importance of more accessible outdoor thermal comfort through indoor-outdoor experiences

Coral Footings

Cultural installations produce significant quantities of construction waste that goes into landfills. MODU’s installation projects are designed to be recycled or upcycled from the outset. In Miami, a steel structure was left unpainted for recycling, while concrete footings were donated for an artificial reef program.

The footings were cast with a network of holes for future marine life, as well as concrete textures specified for coral growth. After the project’s de-installation, footings were lowered to the seabed as part of extensive artificial reef construction. The structures show the opportunities of multi-species design thinking.


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