All posts by Giulio
Zaha Hadid Architects
Zaha Hadid Architects selected to build
Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye smart city west of Moscow
Render by Flying Architecture
Zaha Hadid Architects working with TPO Pride Architects (Russia) have been selected as one of the consortiums to build the new Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye neighbourhood.
The jury of the invited competition also selected two further consortiums to develop the project: Nikken Sekkei (Japan) with UNK Project (Russia); and Archea Associati (Italy) with ABD Architects (Russia).
Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye will include new homes for 66,500 residents in addition to new schools, medical clinics, transport infrastructure and shopping districts, as well as new civic and cultural institutions. The neighbourhood will also accommodate 800,000 square metres of office space for Moscow’s growing financial, consulting, legal and auditing sectors.
In total, 4 million square metres of new buildings will be developed in Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye over 460 hectares to the west of Moscow. A third of the neighbourhood will be parklands and forest bordering the Moscow River with a 30-hectare lake at its centre.
With Moscow’s population increasing by more than 3 million people (over 30%) to 12.4 million in the past 20 years, Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye is integral to accommodating the Russian capital’s continued growth without increasing congestion in the centre of the city.
As an important new residential, employment, civic and cultural hub to the west of Moscow, a new 19km metro line is scheduled to begin construction in 2020 to connect Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye with the Shelepikha interchange station of Moscow’s Metro system.
Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye will be a global benchmark for smart, sustainable cities. Supported by the EDF Group’s platform for 3D simulations of energy and urban scenarios, the project will optimise the consumption and production of sustainable local energy sources while integrating electric mobility, new technologies, services and infrastructure to increase connectivity and efficiencies.
Zaha Hadid Architects’ proposal for Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye is a phased development designed to enhance residents’ interactions with each other, with nature and with new technologies.
Founded on research and studies that conclude people’s well-being and happiness increases from greater interaction with their local community, the design creates a diverse ecology of spaces for living, working, education or leisure that encourage engagement and communication.
Smart technologies are embedded within the urban fabric of Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye. Its design also enables residents and visitors to unwind with their families, friends and the natural world that permeates through the heart of the city; creating an urban environment of ecological technology that seamlessly integrates natural and human-made systems.
Christos Passas, project director at Zaha Hadid Architects, explained: “Working with specialist teams in Russia and Europe, we developed a people-centric design for a smart interconnected city that brings people together not only through innovative technology but also through organising the public realm; building a community that integrates the natural aspects of the site with principles of openness and inclusivity in high quality architecture suited for the 21st century.”
HOWLAND GREEN – Beyond Net Zero
With Howland Green Homes, buildings produce more energy than they consume
For Dave de Sylva and Howland Green Homes, the future is now.
What that means, really, is being aware of ongoing world-wide energy consumption, its global impact, and then doing something to combat the “addiction” to carbon-based choices.
To that end, Howland Green practises a Beyond Net Zero (BNZ) program, whereby its global carbon footprints can be reduced to beyond zero – essentially a negative reading – positive to our environment. Its mission: to build positive energy developments, which are zero carbon energy homes, building and communities that are so efficient that they produce more energy than they consume on a global basis.
“We can reduce our consumption greatly and it’s relatively easy to accomplish,” says de Sylva, P. Eng., President of Howland Green Homes. “We need to use much less energy, in general, and start using ‘today’s’ energy, such as wind and solar, rather than carbon-based energy.
“At Howland Green, for example, we can reduce operational energy usage by about 82 per cent, compared to normally-built buildings; and that’s just through the use of simple building choices.”
The benefit of BNZ, explains de Sylva, is that the concept raises the bar when it comes to homes and buildings that have a cleaner ecological footprint. Not only do those buildings save owners thousands of dollars, by producing more energy than they consume, but they also reduce the carbon footprint and make the world’s atmosphere measurably better.
As founder of Howland Green Homes, de Sylva has been instrumental in building some of the most efficient and advanced net zero projects in the GTA. Those include Green Life Delridge communities in Markham and Milton.
Now Howland Green is poised to raise the bar by introducing the first net positive energy residential condominium building in Canada, in Milton, Ontario, with Bronte West Condominiums. Bronte West will produce more energy on site and remotely than it uses on an operational basis, creating a zero carbon footprint, says de Sylva. According to a company statement, Bronte West will be the embodiment of construction innovation and the very definition of net positive. Powered by sun and geothermal energy, Bronte West will serve as the perfect combination of ecology, economy and technological advancement.
Complementing that project will be the Howland Green Business Centre in Markham, which will feature an impressive collection of net positive energy condo office spaces, says de Sylva.
“Because of our planet’s addiction to carbon-based energy, we suffer warmer sea temperatures, we pollute our skies with carbon-based gases,” he says. “So we are seeing shifts in weather patterns that create more deserts, or floods, or other rapid unpredictablilty in events and frequency.”
To combat those negative situations, de Sylva says Howland Green will do its part.
“It’s important to understand the global problem of climate change and the absolute need, in everything we do, even beyond the building process.”
He points out that sustainability is the term used to define the ability to endure. And at the rate the world is building today, it’s imperative to change how that process is done. If we don’t change, that points to an outcome of ‘non-survival.’
So while Howland Green understands that concentrating on energy reduction itself is one goal, the switch to a capture of ‘today’s’ energy sources of wind and sun is seemingly paramount.
“The impact of fossil fuel addiction has been proven, with negative atmospheric consequences in both carbon-filled air and particulate matter,” de Sylva says. “The goal of going beyond net zero to BNZ implies that the impact of our developments measures a reduction in overall global carbon footprinting.
“While some of our projects achieve this on the physical site itself, others – through the Howland Green Footprint Program – will see reductions in nearby locations or, perhaps, in foreign locales. We are faced with a global issue and, luckily, what we actually do is more important than where we do it. We all share the same atmosphere, so everything makes a difference.”
Some of the features found in Howland Green buildings include:
- Enhanced insulated concrete form construction;
- R80 roof insulation;
- State of the art geothermal heating and cooling throughout;
- Full coverage solar power arrays;
- Load-sharing capabilities within structures;
- Electric potential energy storage;
- Pneumatic energy storage;
- Rainwater capture for toilet usage;
- Groundwater capture for irrigation;
- All ramps to underground parking entirely closed from the elements;
- High-efficiency dual level LED lighting systems;
- Low E Argon thermal pane insulated windows and sliding doors with fibreglass frames;
- Decant recapture of inversion and transformation systems;
- And high-efficiency geothermal hot water delivery with additional thermal tank wrapping.
To illustrate his point about the need to rely on ‘today’s’ energy, de Sylva uses an example where he looks at the big picture.
“The start with, we need to understand that the earth receives about 174 petawatts of energy per year, which converts to about 174,000,000 gigawatts,” he says. “Globally, we use 1 ½ per cent of 1% of that total, but only 12% of that amount is from wind and solar. The rest, or majority, comes from decayed animals and plants that release carbon into the atmosphere. So it’s pretty obvious that we need to use ‘today’s’ energy and stop the pollution. Solar or wind, it does not matter.
“We need to look at whatever we do as a global issue. Whether we capture more solar energy than we use – as is the case with Howland Green Business Centre – or we generate excess energy off-site in wind farms or other rooftops, the effect on the global footprint is negative.
“In effect, we create a benefit to the global atmosphere as a result of our building. This can also be accomplished by reducing other footprints around us, such as retrofitting existing buildings with modern lighting, geothermal systems or new insulation. By measuring the results, we can measure how we have reduced the global footprint as a result of our building effort … the Beyond Net Zero effect.
“And we should never underestimate how important BNZ is to our future and how we can reach our much-needed goals.”
Web / howlandgreen.com
Bloomberg HQ in London wins RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture
Bloomberg’s new European headquarters is respectful of its location in the heart of the City of London, close to the Bank of England, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the church of St. Stephen’s Walbrook. In its form, massing and materials, the new building is uniquely of their place and time – a natural extension of the City that will endure and improve the surrounding public realm. It is a true exemplar of sustainable development, with a BREEAM Outstanding rating – the highest design-stage score ever achieved by any major office development.
Occupying a full city block, the 3.2-acre site comprises two buildings united by bridges that span over a pedestrian arcade that reinstates Watling Street, an ancient Roman road that ran through the site. Bloomberg Arcade is now a key route for people moving around the City, with restaurants and cafes at ground level, set back behind an undulating façade under a covered colonnade. Three public plazas, located at each end of the arcade and in front of the building’s entrance, provide new civic spaces in the heart of the Square Mile.
Its striking façade is defined by a structural sandstone frame, with a series of large-scale bronze fins that shade the floor-to-ceiling glazing. The fins give the building a visual hierarchy and rhythm as they vary in scale, pitch and density across each façade according to orientation and solar exposure, while being an integral part of the building’s natural ventilation system.
Art plays a central role in the project, with major site-specific commissions in and around the building. Cristina Iglesias’ water sculpture in three parts, ‘Forgotten Streams’ – a homage to the ancient Walbrook River that once flowed through the site – defines the public spaces at each end of Bloomberg Arcade. The new Bloomberg building also returns the archaeological remains of the Roman Temple of Mithras to the site of their original discovery, with a new interpretation centre and cultural hub designed to give visitors an immersive experience of the temple and bring the history of the site to life.
The main entrance to Bloomberg is defined by a substantial porte-cochère, where the building forms two sides of a new formal city square. Arriving at the main entrance, everyone passes through the reception lobby before being drawn into the Vortex – a dramatic double-height space created by three inclined, curving timber shells. From here, high-speed fully-glazed lifts with a unique concealed mechanism – another innovation developed specifically for the building – carry everyone directly to the sixth floor.
Central to Bloomberg’s ethos, the double-height ‘pantry’ on the sixth floor is the heart of the building, reflecting the importance of sharing and collaboration at the company. Everyone passes through this animated space, increasing the likelihood of chance meetings and informal discussions.
A distinctive hypotrochoid stepped ramp, characterised by its smooth continuous three-dimensional loop, flows through the full height of the building, adding to the drama of the space. Clad in bronze, the ramp is designed and proportioned as a place of meeting and connection, allowing people to hold brief impromptu conversations with colleagues, whilst not impeding the flow of people.
The notion of teamwork and collaboration flows into the desking systems and layout of each floor. Bespoke height-adjustable, radial desks are laid out in clusters and pods for up to six people, allowing for privacy, personalisation, wellbeing and collaborative working. The ceiling is another unique and innovative element developed for the building, inspired by the pressed metal ceilings of New York. Its distinctive polished aluminium panels of ‘petals’ perform multiple roles – ceiling finish, light reflectors, cooling elements and acoustic attenuation – combining various elements of a typical office ceiling into an energy-saving integrated system.
Sustainability
• Breathable walls, to bring outdoor air through the building in a natural ventilation system
• Integrated chilled ceiling
• Roof louvre mounted solar panels
• Rainwater collection and re-use plus vacuum drainage will enable net zero water usage
• Cutting edge exterior core layout will allow an expansive floor plate, meaning we can make the large floors as wide open as possible
• First-of-a-kind, external facing glass elevators engineered to offer visitors, customers and employees unparalleled views of the City as they enter the building
BREEAM rating
Outstanding
Europe’s tallest skyscraper main construction and installation works are completed
The RMJM-designed Lakhta Centre in St Petersburgis Russia and Europe’s tallest building – standing 462 metres high. The twisted supertall skyscraper, is the 13th tallest building in the world. Developers Gazprom, a Russian gas company that will occupy most of the building, also claim it to be the “northernmost skyscraper in the world”.
The project of a business center with a high-rise landmark and base buildings was selected as a result of an international architectural contest conducted by the investor in 2006. The winner of the contest was RMJM company (Tony Kettle Design Director) which proposed a project complying with the requested functions of the future headquarters of a large energy company and concordant with the architectural traditions of Petersburg.
The architect’s task was to implement the project of a new ultramodern skyscraper in the city with a rich cultural and historical context, the historical centre of which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tony Kettle, the author of the architectural concept of the Lakhta Center: “The flowing forms of water, the glinting spires of the Peter and Paul cathedral, the size of the sky canvas above the horizontal grain. My sense was very much to create something that was as light and elegant as the historical forms, capturing the changes in daylight in a similar way to that of the golden domes and spires.”
“The tower was designed as a simple organic spire with asymmetrical movement in its skin, to be seen as a singular landmark at city scale. Underlying the simple elegance of its exterior there are actually five individual twisting towers, each with its own glazed skin. These come together and taper around a diminishing circular core, enveloped by a further insulating skin.”
The main architectural motives of Petersburg are reflected in the concept of a business center. It is a theme of a lonely spire in the horizontal landscape, and leaning base buildings symbolizing the ship hull, and maritime theme of wave-like bearing structures. An organic form of the building symbolizes the power of water, the flow of space, openness and lightness. The effect of free fall and maximum blending of the future complex with the environment will be emphasized by the glass of a special type, owning to this glass the tower will change its colors creating a feeling of a living being.
Lakhta Center incorporates a number of innovative energy-saving technologies into its design. A double-glazed façade increases the level of thermal insulation, leading to a reduction in heating and air-conditioning costs. An airy space between the façade skins will provide both thermal insulation and natural ventilation. In winter it allows keeping warmth and in summer coolness inside the building. An additional saving of power energy will be achieved by substituting conventional heating devices to infra-red radiators and applying the solution which allow re-using the heat emitted by technical and household devices in order to supply heating to the building. Similarly, the premises will be heated using excess heat generated from working technical equipment.
Starbucks Greener Stores built from recycled containers
Starbucks Taiwan opened its first store in Asia Pacific built from recycled shipping containers. The new Starbucks is the first retailer to open a storefront in the yet-to-be opened Hualien Bay Mall, which is located in a tourist destination known for its cuisine and beautiful landscape facing the Pacific Ocean.
This drive thru location is built to meet customer needs, both today and in the long-term. It offers the convenience of Starbucks drive thru for customers on-the-go on Nanbin Road, but also continues Starbucks 30-year history of sustainability by recycling 29 used shipping containers to form the store’s structure. It’s 320 square meters and two stories tall.
This unique exterior design was envisioned and brought to life by the famed Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, who has also built Starbucks Japan’s Fukuoka store and is the exterior architect for the upcoming Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo. This is the first time Kuma has used shipping containers for his designs and was inspired by the foliage of coffee trees combined with the traditional Chinese bucket arch. The stacking of the shipping containers created a much taller space and provides natural sunlight through the various skylights found throughout the structure.
Inside the geometric space, customers find a tribute to the cultural vitality of Hualien. The brightly coloured wall mural represents the aboriginal Amis peoples with deep heritage in the City.
The store is designed to help bring people together over coffee. Inside, the containers feature create warm and comfortable seating areas for customers. From one end of the container, customers can enjoy views of the beautiful mountain range. The other end is decorated with graphics that tell coffee stories.
Starbucks is committed to building sustainable stores and recently announced the “Starbucks Greener Stores” initiative which will be a framework to design, build and operate sustainable stores around the world. Today, this store joins a suite of Starbucks locations built from shipping containers. In the US, Starbucks has opened 45 of these pre-fabricated modular stores, built off-site prior to delivery and installation, creating an opportunity for the company to extend into sites not designed for traditional store locations while minimizing the environmental footprint generally associated with new buildings. Through these store formats, Starbucks is able to reuse reclaimed materials throughout the design.
Source: Starbucks
Karma Revero is a South Californian luxurious grand tourer like no other
In the last couple of years, electric cars have seen a major breakthrough thanks to major manufacturers introducing their zero emission cars. The green trend prompted boutique and smaller car manufacturers to enter the market segment of the imminent future. We’re currently seeing Tesla shaping the electric cars as we know them, and more companies have equally intriguing offerings in segments which are still not explored by big names in the industry. There are full-fledged electric hypercars like Rimac C_TWO and NIO EP9 which showcase many capabilities of instant power delivery, giving us a unique insight into the future of performance cars. Naturally, green, comfortable and silent luxury transport will also be quite a thing. Apart from Tesla which currently rules the segment, California-based startup Lucid plans to put its supersedan Air on the market in 2020, and their efforts have been recognized by a royal Saudi Arabian fund which invested whooping one billion dollars into the company.
Another strong contender in the upscale electric sedan market is produced by Karma Automotive, and it’s Karma Revero, a dynamic grand touring luxury EV with quite a familiar look. You might recognize this car as Fisker Karma, a hybrid sedan produced from 2011 to 2012. The Southern Californian company founded by well-known Henrik Fisker already flirted with green power by equipping their hybrid Karma with a solar roof panel, but the revamped Karma Revero is going one step beyond, offering a plug-in rage extended hybrid variant of the original sedan.
Interestingly enough, the Karma Revero looks like a regular car, with nothing giving away its predominant zero emission drivetrain. While most manufacturers choose to close the front grille since there’s no need for engine cooling, Karma Revero has kept its signature front fascia, as well as other design cues from the initial look, both inside and out. With that in mind, the unique wide grille is still there to differentiate the Karma Revero from every other car on the road. The decision to keep the Karma virtually intact was intentional since the car has a truly everlasting appeal, and a graceful silhouette that has aged well. As a testament to that, the Karma Revero has received two important accolades, one for being the “Eco Luxury Car of the Year” by Modern Luxury, and one being “Luxury Green Car of the Year” by the editors of Green Car Journal.
As you would expect from a premium sedan, the Revero packs various creature comforts to make the driving experience as convenient as it can be. First of all, there are hand painted hood ornaments which give each Revero a truly unique finish. After that, there are six interior finishes with wood or carbon fiber accents, eight exterior finishes inspired by South Californian breathtaking outdoors, and a selection of 21” and 22” rims. Inside, the driver has an intuitive infotainment system keeping them constantly informed and a multifunctional steering wheel. Occupants can enjoy heated seats, dual-zone climate control, 275 W eight-speaker premium audio and more. LATCH is there for quick and convenient child seat mounting, making the Revero comfortable for all generations.
The biggest changes come under the beautifully sculpted sheet metal and aluminum spaceframe. The battery pack is centrally mounted, providing perfect weight distribution and low center of gravity, which translates to fantastic driving dynamics and exceptional road holding enhanced by intelligent self-leveling suspension. The electric motors have 981 ft-lbs of torque and 403 horsepower, while the backup generator is enough for formidable 235 horses. The power is transferred to rear wheels, with 5.4 sec 0-60 time and 125 mph electronically limited top speed, and all that while keeping minimal environmental footprint. The all-electric radius is up to 50 miles, whereas the 300-mile range is available in combined driving mode.
Despite ownership changes and revamped drivetrain, solar power is still there as a signature element of the original design. The 200W solar roof charges both the 12V and high voltage batteries, a pioneering feature in the industry. Another green feature of the Revero are its brakes. The monobloc six-piston front calipers not only ensure efficient stopping, but also recharge the high voltage battery with every braking. Rear brakes have four pistons, and the braking system is equipped with panic brake assist for balanced braking in extreme situations.
When it comes to safety, the Revero is equipped with numerous active and passive systems. Driving aids include electronic stability control, traction control, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, rear back-up camera, tire pressure monitoring, park distance monitoring, audible external pedestrian sound up to 28 mph. In case of collision, the Revero is equipped with eight airbags: two-stage driver and passenger airbags, knee airbags, full-length side-curtain airbags and seat-side airbags. Vehicle Event Case (VEC) is another innovative system that offers remotely diagnoses issues before or as they happen
With all in mind, the Karma Revero is a unique proposal in the market segment where all expectations are set on the highest level. Both industry leaders and boutique companies offer superb products with sublime performance and utmost comfort and prestige, and without any doubt, the Revero is ready to battle the giants for its place on the market. Be it for sleek and sophisticated design, formidable performance, or just good karma, the Karma Revero will surely be remembered as a daring car and one of the pioneers of green luxury.
TIMES GROUP Special Issue
The Blloku Cube is the first building project by Stefano Boeri Architetti in Tirana
Located in the heart of Tirana, in the same urban district as the historical residence of Albanian Communist Party leader Enver Hoxha, the Blloku Cube is the new multifunctional center signed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, now under construction.
The building stands right on the junction between the streets of Pjeter Bogdani and Vaso Pasha, in the heart of the Blloku, one of the most prestigious districts in Tirana which, in the post-communist era, has gone from being a military zone of restricted access to a nerve center of city life, thanks to the proliferation of facilities, shops, bars and restaurants lining its characteristic and regularly shaped blocks.
It is on these two streets that the main entrances of the building are positioned, to serve the retail center and the offices.
On the ground floor, the square floor plan of approximately 30 meters on each side presents a significant variant: the way in which the corners have been cut in proximity to the crossroads between the street axes and the main entrance creates a semi-covered square as an extension to the sidewalk, in which the uniformity of the paving between the outdoor and indoor spaces invites passers-by to enter the retail complex.
The floor plan of ground level extends to the first floor of the volume, also occupied by shops, where the west facade of the building slopes to connect with the floor above, which resumes its regular square shape. The inclination of the glass facade and its supporting elements create a resting point on a slanting surface where a seating system, literally leaning against the facade structure, offers an opportunity to admire the city and the public area below from an unusual viewpoint.
The building continues to rise with its regular square floor plan for another five levels, all of which are destined to be occupied by offices, and is surmounted by a Roof Garden Restaurant on the seventh floor.
The identity of the building is strongly characterized by a special cladding, a stand-out feature that makes it recognizable and unique in the city skyline and, at the same time, highly performing in terms of thermal efficiency, thanks to a “double skin” technological system.
The “first skin” consists in a curtain wall, an uninterrupted glass facade providing adequate insulation to the building in terms of energy efficiency and acoustics while the “second skin” is made up of a sophisticated technological shielding system in anodized aluminum consisting of 110 centimeter square modules, which only obscure the light for half of their surface due to the presence of three dimensional triangles welded inside.
“The resulting effect is that of a vibrant and iridescent surface, a pattern of aluminum triangles playing with the sunlight to create reflections in different nuances of color”, explains Stefano Boeri.
Each of the tiny metal sails making up the facade is pointed in a different direction to filter the sunlight and provide an optimal natural lighting within, according to the programmed use of each space, as well as making it ever unique, thanks to the multiple viewpoints of the city it offers.
“This particular cladding solution, specifically designed for our first Albanian project, plays an essential role in defining the uniqueness of the building and contributes to underling its importance as a new landmark of this urban district”, adds Francesca Cesa Bianchi, project director for Stefano Boeri Architetti.
The construction, started in July 2018, will be entirely managed by the Tirana branch of Stefano Boeri Architetti, which has already put its name to “Tirana 2030”, the new town planning scheme of the Albanian capital with UNLAB and IND and, after winning an international contest, will be engaged in the construction of three schools, destined to become the new hubs of social and cultural activities in the north western area of the city.
BIG’S PLEATED SKYSCRAPER COMPLETES IN SHENZHEN
Images by Chao Zhang
The new home for Shenzhen Energy Company looks different because it performs differently: the building skin is developed to maximize the sustainable performance and workplace comfort in the local subtropical climate of China’s tech and innovation hub in Shenzhen.
The 96,000m2 office development for the state-owned Shenzhen Energy Company is designed to look and feel at home in the cultural, political and business center of Shenzhen, while standing out as a new social and sustainable landmark at the main axis of the city. BIG won the international design competition in the city known as China’s ‘Silicon Valley’ with ARUP and Transsolar in 2009 and started construction in 2012.
“Shenzhen Energy Mansion is our first realized example of ‘engineering without engines’ – the idea that we can engineer the dependence on machinery out of our buildings and let architecture fulfill the performance.Shenzhen Energy Mansion appears as a subtle mutation of the classic skyscraper and exploits the building’s interface with the external elements: sun, daylight, humidity and wind to create maximum comfort and quality inside. A natural evolution that looks different because it performs differently.” Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG. The volume and height of the new headquarters for Shenzhen Energy Company was predetermined by the urban masterplan for the central area. The development consists of two towers rising 220m to the north and 120m to the south, linked together at the feet by a 34m podium housing the main lobbies, a conference center, cafeteria and exhibition space. Together with the neighboring towers, the new towers form a continuous curved skyline marking the center of Shenzhen.
BIG developed an undulating building envelope which creates a rippled skin around both towers and breaks away from the traditional glass curtain wall.
By folding parts of the envelope that would reduce solar loads and glare, a façade with closed and open parts oscillate between transparency to one side and opacity to the other. The closed parts provide high-insulation while blocking direct sunlight and providing views out. As a result, the towers appear as a classical shape with an organic pattern from a distance and as an elegant pleated structure from close-up.
Image by Laurian Ghinitoiu
The sinuous direction of the façade corresponds to the solar orientation: it maximizes north-facing opening for natural light and views, while minimizing exposure on the sunny sides. This sustainable facade system reduces the overall energy consumption of the building without any moving parts or complicated technology.
From the street level, a series of walls are pulled open for visitors to enter the commercial spaces from the north and south end of the buildings, while professionals enter from the front plaza into the daylight-filled lobby. Once inside, the linearity of the building façade continues horizontally: the pixel landscape of the stone planter boxes is in the same dimensions and arranged in the same pattern as the ripples of the building envelope.
The offices for Shenzhen Energy Company are placed on the highest floors for employees to enjoy views to the city, while the remaining floors are rentable office space. Within the protruded areas of the building, the façade is stretched out—two smooth deformations create large spaces for extra good views on each floor, meeting rooms, executive clubs and staff facilities.
The folded wall provides a free view through clear glass in one direction and creates a condition with plenty of diffused daylight by reflecting the direct sun between the interior panels. Even when the sun comes directly from the east or west, the main part of the solar rays is reflected off of the glass due to the flat angle of the windows.
Image by Laurian Ghinitoiu
As the sun sets, the changing transparency and the curved lines of the façade create an almost wood-like texture or a scene of vertical terraced hills. The slits that open between the curtain wall to reveal special spaces such as boardrooms, executive offices and breakout areas, lend the building a distinct character from different parts of the city.
