Virti Bhaveshbhai Mehta

FA-BARCH-Exchange Semester

Re-Fabric

This project is an urban insertion in the neighborhood of Madrid, where temperatures are rising. This project features an upcycled plastic fabric that wraps around building facades to reduce heat gain. Created from community-collected plastic waste, it merges climate response with collective sustainability. Public Engagement encouraged community participation, showing how recycled plastic can be transformed into creative, functional art pieces, fostering a culture of reuse and environmental responsibility.


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understanding the neighborhood at different scales with help of shadows, vegetation, data, and other existing architectural elements.

Community Interest in Recycling: The Circular Art Festival in San Cristóbal de los Ángeles highlighted local interest in recycling by involving residents in workshops and public art installations using recycled materials.

This project features an upcycled plastic fabric that wraps around building facades to reduce heat gain. Created from community-collected plastic waste, it merges climate response with collective sustainability.

Wind catcher with adjustable louvers. Addition of window for NE daylight. Reduction of asphalt pavement. Addition of waterbody for evaporative cooling. OTS (green balconies in every unit) Upcycling of the plastic waste generated into fabric awning to protect from heat. Addition of staircase shaft on south face to protect the units from direct sunlight, Adding a bay on the west facade for thermal lag.

the fabric extends into the plaza, merging building and ground. It shades asphalt surfaces, reducing heat absorption and urban heat island effect while enhancing spatial and visual continuity.

Architecture and Landscape

Construction Materials

Architecture Composition

A dream come true- every building I had studied in books came alive before my eyes. Walking through spaces I’d only imagined felt like stepping straight into the pages of architecture. Overwhelmed but determined, I tried to absorb and note down everything around me. Research before and reflection after made me see each building more deeply.

This trip was full of firsts- my first Gehry, Zaha, Ando, Mies, Gaudí. Each encounter shaped how I see architecture and myself. I learned to form opinions, to admire, and to question more honestly. More than anything, it helped me pause, to stop, feel, and truly absorb. I stopped overanalyzing. Sometimes, architecture exists just to be, it doesn't need a reason. Now I reread the same books with new eyes. This trip wasn’t just about buildings, it became a journey of growth, of clarity, and of joy in discovering how I truly see architecture.