Skolkovo Innovation Center

The ‘tortoiseshell’ arrangement that inspired the site plan allowed for a 5°C temperature reduction. By huddling in very tightly packed groups (8 to 10 per square meter) and only exposing their upper backs to the cold wind, penguins limit their heat loss.

Using parametric design integrating the understanding of this natural organization, resulting from collaborative work with biologists, this district has 90 villas grouped together ten by ten, intended to accommodate the families of researchers from the Skolkovo Innovation center. An urban composition that generates natural heat islands and saves 5°C in temperature within each group of houses, minimizing heating needs. It fits into a vast clearing surrounded by a stream allowing the melting snow to be evacuated.