V2 RIPPLE – Team VIRTU/e

ripple is inspired by the Ripple Effect. Like a drop in water, our project creates a ripple of influence. Our aim is to introduce our contextually-adaptable ‘drop’- a modular extension for flat-roof buildings, along with a new urban concept- in various existing contexts in order to create our ripple and influence the general public to participate in sustainable urbanisation.

Our aim is to create a proposal that can be adapted to fit the needs and situations of various Northern European cities. 

We focus on setting an example for the industry, as well as influencing the user to live a more sustainable lifestyle. We do this by creating a framework which makes a sustainable lifestyle attractive and easy for users. We form various platforms for social interaction so people can inspire each other and spread this influence from neighbour to neighbour, to a larger scale.  

We as designers have the responsibility of not only creating an environmentally–friendly construction, but also a welcoming environment for our users, and to stimulate their lifestyles to spread what we start with the design. We do this through three design principles:

ACTIVITY

Users are activated to participate in the sustainable change initiated by the urban and building design, by being engaged in social interaction, in order to reduce their footprints.

ATTRACTIVE

The transition to a more actively sustainable lifestyle is made attractive and comfortable, by providing multiple platforms for social interaction on an urban scale, and also creating an aesthetically-appealing proposal for the extensions themselves.

ADAPTIVE

We embrace a new, adaptive approach to building construction, with demountable connections and reusable materials, to allow the building to adapt to changes in function in the long term. With this, we spark the shift towards a more dynamic built environment, where buildings adapt to the every-changing needs of the market.

SOLAR DECATHLON 2021

The second generation of VIRTUe has participated in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2021/2022! Our team has a strong affinity toward urban design and realistic social solutions, which made the SDE21/22, set in urban Wuppertal, a perfect ground for us.

SDE21/22 is focused on urbanisation and development of urban areas. Wuppertal is an industrial city, much like Eindhoven, which allowed VIRTUe to garner inspiration from its direct surroundings in terms of urban renewal and technical innovation and apply it to create a strong, innovative concept for the competition.

We were judged based on 10 contests and challenged to build an architecturally attractive building with innovative engineering and sustainable practices.