Alessandra Zanelli
ICAR/12 - Architectural technology
Born in 1968, MS degree in Architecture, PhD. in Technologies for Architecture and Environment, Alessandra Zanelli is currently Full Professor at the Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Engineering Construction at Politecnico di Milano (Polimi). Her Full-professor qualifying agreement is available from February 2014 to 2020.
138 publications; 3 patents; 1 European Design Patent.
Member of SPACE (Experimental process for architecture and life cycle of building products) Research Unit at the same Department. Her main interests deal with role of technological innovation in architecture and in industrial design.Her main interests deal with role of technological innovation in architecture and in industrial design. In particular, she has focused his attention on: temporary systems (tents, minimal units for emergency; mobile homes); adaptive systems (smart, extensible, foldable, pivots systems); application of lightweight systems and demountable buildings for dwellings.
Member of the Scientific Committee of the Doctorate in Technology and Design Engineering for Building and City Environmental Quality at Polimi; member of TensiNet Association, the thematic network for upgrading the built environment in Europe through tensile structures, with the role of Regional Representative for Italian Universities; Coordinator of the Inter-Departmental Research Laboratory of Textiles and Polymers Materials at Polimi.
She has been involved in different research projects, co-financed by Regional and International institutions (Cariplo Foundation, MIUR, RegioneLombardia, EU) with the role of partner PI; the following projects are related to the topic of the present proposal:
1. ProgettoFondazioneCariplo – Advanced materials (2010-2011): project named SOFT (Smart, Organic, Flexible and Translucent) – PV. Creation of a Photovoltaic Organic Cell on Fluoropolymeric Substrate to Integrate into Smart Building Envelopes; with the role of principal investigator
2. Collaborative project EeB.NMP. 2011-3 (2012-2015): project named EASEE – Envelope Approach to improve Sustainability and Energy efficiency in Existing multi-storey multi-owner residential buildings; she takes part in the WP 4: Retrofitting solutions using textiles and thin insulation materials.
3. Research project co-financed by Region Lombardy – (2012-2014) named TIFAIN (Tessere Integrate di vetro Fotovoltaico per applicazioni Architettoniche INnovative) , a researchof industrial development on the creation of a new kind of OPV integrated- tile for facades ; sheisleading the POLIMI team and WP1 on the designing of the new tiles
4. Cost Action TU1303: Novel structural skins: Improving sustainability and efficiency through new structural textile materials and designs (2013-2016); she is leader of WP2- Sustainability and member of the Management Committee.
Recent 5 selected publications
Jakica N., Zanelli A. (2014), DynamicVisualization of Optical and Energy Yield Co-Simulation of New Generation BIPV Envelope in Early Design Phase Using Custom RayTracingAlgorithm in Python, in: Proceedings of Advanced Building Skins Conference, Bressanone, Italy, October 28-29, 2014, ISBN 978-3-98120537-4.
Z. Fan, M. Garbugli, C. Monticelli, M. Caironi, A. Zanelli (2014), MechanicalRobustnessinvestigation of organicphotovoltaics for membrane integratedflexible solar cells, in: IASS WG18 (edited by), Proceedings of the 11th International Seminar on Environmentally Compatible Structures (ECS), November 7-9 2013, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, UTPress – The Publishing House of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, ISBN 978-973-662-970-9.
Zanelli A., Spinelli M.L., Monticelli C., Pedrali P. (eds.) (2016), LightweightLandscape – Enhancing Design throughMinimal Mass Structures, Polimi SpringerBriefs, Cambridge.
Monticelli C., Zanelli A., Eco-efficiency and life cycleanalysis of structuralmembranes in architecture, in FALK A., VEGH P. e CHILTON J. (eds.) (2015), Proceedings of the IASS WorkingGroups 12+18 International Colloquium “Bio-based and Bio-inspiredEnvironmentally Compatible Structures”, 10 – 13 April, Tokyo DenkiUniversity, Japan