Ana Zimbarg is a Doctor of Design candidate at the College of Communication, Architecture and the Arts at Florida International University (FIU). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Planning from Mackenzie University (2005), a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts (2010), with a major in Multimedia from the University of Sao Paulo, and a Master’s Degree in BioDigital Architecture (2018) from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) in Barcelona, Spain.

Ana undertook research into construction methods to develop affordable housing with discarded materials and non-traditional building techniques, aiming to produce buildings with a lower carbon footprint. She is currently based in Melbourne, Australia, where she has been living and working for about 10 years. Ana has been involved in a diverse range of projects, from small residential renovations to large-scale hospitality and health projects. Her current research interest consists of using technology to bring the built environment closer to the natural and biological environment as a strategy for sustainable architecture.

Ana Zimbarg’s interests lie in sustainability, regeneration as well as climate adaptation design. Her doctoral project is an advanced environmental analysis tool to map microclimates on building facades in order to determine which plant species are appropriate for green wall applications. The overall goal is to facilitate the integration of greenery across building envelopes, reinsert vegetation and biodiversity into urban areas and assist in climate adaptation planning and monitoring.

The tool uses Python, grasshopper and machine learning to predict microclimates on building surfaces, based on local climate data, orientation, and building design. The Python script generates a coloured mesh visually representing microclimate conditions throughout the building envelope. The tool identifies optimal locations for implementing green infrastructure at the early design stages, treating the building as an integral part of the landscape.