Wise Green Glass Facade For Unilever's Northern Europe Headquarters

Unilever, the world’s second largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company after Procter & Gamble recently acquired for itself, a new headquarters for its Northern Europe faction. Located at HafenCity, Hamburg, on the banks of the Elbe River in Germany, the edifice is designed by Behnisch Architects and combines modern architecture with sustainability and energy-efficiency.

Dual Exterior: Inner Glass “Skin” & Outer Plastic “Cocoon”

Inner Glass Skin

Rather wisely, the building combines climate conservation and transparency through its exterior glass facade. This façade comprises solar control glass from Interpane, which allows optimum levels of daylight transmission. On the ground floor, the generous glazing in a pillar-beam design serves the same purpose. This brings down the operating costs for indoor artificial lighting.

Moreover, the façade also prevents the interiors from heating up excessively during summer, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning. Conversely, the insulation value of 1.1 W/m2K (as per EN 673) retains requisite warmth inside the building.

In some parts of the building, a cold sound-insulation facade, using laminated sheet glass provides protection from increased noise levels.

Outer Plastic Cocoon

The glass facade is protected from the rough sea air by a single-layer, fully transparent plastic cover called a “plastic cocoon”. This outer skin helps reduce heat gain and control wind effects. The space between the facades is ventilated and is able to supply draught-free fresh air through open windows.

Interiors

The interiors of the Unilever HQ are designed like a vertical village. Multiple levels connect with each other, lacing throughout the huge daylit atrium. The spa, stores, and café on the first floor are open to the public, extending the social context of the building to the city. The upper stories link private and public workspaces with large informal seating areas around the central atrium. The open floor plan uses an atrium to anchor satellite workspaces. The building is designed to provide space for 1,200 Unilever employees. The interior uses a cooling system controlled by a chilled concrete ceiling. The thermal mass effect facilitates effective cooling with significantly reduced energy requirement. The daylighting is controlled manually and with built-in glare-control measures. Acoustic control has been tailored to keep the atrium sound levels comfortable. A special hybrid ventilation system is implemented in the buildings.

LED

A system of SMD LED or surface mount LED lights was developed and installed to save nearly 70% of the energy of halogen lighting.

Awarded for Sustainability

This building received many prestigious awards like “The Golden Environment Award of the HafenCity Hamburg GmbH”, “The WAF (World Architecture Festival Award)”, and “The International Bex Award (Building Exchange Award). All these clearly exemplify the outstanding sustainability and modern architecture efforts of this Green corporate office.

Glass Exteriors, a Sector of Energy Efficiency in “Yamuna”

Yamuna, the new corporate office of leading global water management solution company Kirloskar Brothers Ltd at Pune, India, stands tall and proud, having just received the prestigious LEED Platinum rating.

Yamuna is spread over 3 acres of land and has a capacity of 500 employees.

The gamut of energy-efficient features Yamuna is endowed with help it save up to 50% energy and 30% water through the use of solar power, glass panels, eco-friendly cooling systems, CFL fixtures and rainwater harvesting, among several others.

1. Highlighted glass exteriors have given Yamuna a breathtaking outward appearance that befits a modern corporate building.
2. A glass atrium and landscaped terrace with green indoor plantations provide a work-friendly environment and also serve as a place for relaxation.
3. A large number of glass panels are fitted along the walls, which allow natural light inside the building, thereby saving on electricity.
4. Energy efficient CFLs are used for lighting.
5. The use of ergonomic furniture ensures complete comfort for employees.
6. A well-stocked café that serves hygienic and nutritious food is another feature of Yamuna.
7. A clinic is present within the facility for emergency medical requirements.
8. Sophisticated fire-fighting equipment is installed within the premises.
9. Other amenities like an auditorium, library, a well equipped gymnasium, badminton court, swimming pool and an amphitheatre allow for employee recreation and networking.
10. Yamuna uses water-cooled VRV air conditioning systems with sensors for monitoring CO2 levels and optimizing intake of fresh air. The structure has photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, which meet 2.6% of power requirements.
11. Other energy efficient gadgets in Yamuna include green LCD monitors.
12. A substantial amount of water requirements are fulfilled by rainwater harvesting.
13. The entire campus is a ‘no smoking’ area.

Glass on Building Exteriors

The architecture of a building is often determined by the need and purpose for which construction is undertaken, and the requirements of those who will occupy it. Buildings are no longer about brick, mortar and stone mixed in the right quantities and put together, but about comfort, safety, luxury and even style; and what better construction material to use than glass to impart all these characteristics to a building.

Let us look at how glass has transformed buildings today to oases of comfort and luxury.

The Nanjing Centre



The Nanjing Centre for Chinese and American Studies was designed by Perkins Eastman on the Nanjing University Campus. This truly elegant structure in glass is a 10,000 sq. m, 10-storey building. A joint venture with The Johns Hopkins University, it encompasses classrooms, lecture spaces, faculty residences and student lounges. The transparency and ample space within the facility is a sheer treat.

The building façade is a fusion of terracotta, limestone, and glass, making for consistency with the older campus buildings, and juxtaposing sturdiness with openness. Four-storey glass walls define both the courtyard on the campus-facing side of the building and a plaza on the public-facing side, giving visibility to the active circulation areas.

The structural glass panes are affixed with spider clips so that mullions do not block the view of the landscape and pool. The upper floors of the building feature banded windows in the faculty apartments, avoiding a typical dormitory or residential style so that the building aesthetic remains academic, and public and private spaces are clearly demarcated.

At one corner, a glass tower provides an extensive view of the city beyond the campus walls and, when lit at night, stands out as a visual beacon. The floor plates behind the glass wall have a shadow box detail which imparts a seamless appearance by concealing the joints between the floor plates and the walls. An auditorium located in an adjacent structure within the courtyard features a curving metal roof which folds down into the glass atrium to form a wall between the two buildings.

China Central Place



China Central Place, which is also known as the Hua Mao Center is located in Beijing’s central business district, China. China Central Place is an eye-catching 7 million ft² mixed use glass complex. It is part of a large integrated real estate development that includes apartments, an upscale mall and the Ritz Carlton. The design was created by the international architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF).

The architecture of China Central Place consists of diagonally faceted glass sheets whose appearance is softened at the lowest five stories by terra cotta screens. Within the site, the component buildings define two major public parks of over 2 hectares each. This complex created a lasting impression on the public. It provided people with a sheltered environment for work, residence, shopping, while enjoying enjoy the synergies of urban life without the stresses of congestion.