Energy Efficient Glass Structure - European Investment Bank Headquarters

The winner of the first place in the Emilio Ambasz Prize for Green Architecture for International Buildings for 2010 was European Investment Bank in Luxembourg. This truly iconic building was designed by Ingenhoven Architects.


This extensively glazed building is famed for its unique structural design, apart from several energy-efficient design elements. By virtue of these qualities, this office building achieved the coveted “Very Good” rating under the United Kingdom’s Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). It is also the first building on continental Europe to have been assessed under this scheme.

The headquarters of the EIB boast of a 170 meter-long tubular glass and steel structure with a zigzagging non-hierarchical office layout. This 72,500 sq meter building has enough office space and facilities for 750 employees and includes indoor ‘warm’ atria, a cafeteria, restaurant, and a connection to nearby buildings.

The building is completely shielded by 13,000 sq meters of glass that allow the penetration of daylight easily from all angles. Operable windows allow occupants to directly control the room temperature and permit natural ventilation.

Glass Roof

The highlighted tubular glass roof, framed with light-weight steel, covers 170m by 50m of building area. Being glazed, the roof offers maximum daylight and transparency and is key to the building’s environment-friendly concept as it curves around the office floor plates. The tubular glass envelope allows for daylighting of the working bays. The transparency of the external envelope is reflected internally by an open office layout that promotes free interaction.

This glass roof curves around the floor plates to create atriums in the V-shaped “gaps” of the building wings. The landscaped winter gardens on the side of the valley are unheated and act as climate buffers; they reduce variations between the outside temperature and the desired temperature in the offices, thereby contributing to lowering heating requirements in winter and cooling requirements in summer.



In contrast, the atriums on the boulevard side serve as circulation spaces. The largest atrium houses the main entrance to the building, and so temperatures in these areas have to be kept at a comfortable level. Both winter gardens and “warm” atriums are naturally ventilated through open flaps in the shell to draw fresh air into the building and to reduce heat gain especially in the summer months.

Cold water pipes also run through the concrete floor slabs, creating chilled ceilings in order to cool the building in summer and to regulate the building temperature between seasons. In winter, thermal energy from solar heat gain is used to heat the building, thus reducing energy consumption.

Energy Conservation

Mechanical systems such as lighting, sun shading, heating, cooling and ventilation can be controlled individually. Wastage is avoided as much as possible, as individual settings are reset to the most efficient levels possible several times a day by the central control unit. Staff members can open their windows to the atriums and winter gardens or to the outside at almost all times.

All offices are equipped with a control panel that allows building users to individually regulate blinds for sun shading, lighting and temperature. Artificial office lighting is restricted to 300 Lux throughout the offices. However, staff can illuminate their individual work spaces with desk lamps to 500 Lux. This overall reduction in general lighting Lux levels significantly reduces the building’s energy consumption.

All surfaces - walls, floors and ceilings - are also designed to make optimum use of daylight, enhance luminosity and thus contribute to a pleasant working atmosphere.

Efficient Construction Materials   Construction materials were selected in accordance with the energy used for their manufacture, with materials with the least energy consumption given preference. The internal façade frames, for example, which cover a surface area of 17,600m2, are made of wood rather than aluminium because research found that the energy used in the manufacture of the wooden materials is only 2% of that which would have been expended in the manufacture of the equivalent aluminium profiles.

This environmental philosophy extended to the construction site, where the majority of materials were chosen for their small environmental impact. For example, all wood used has been certified by the FSC or the PEFC (programme for the endorsement of forest certification).

Most innovative storefront/entrance project - Two Alliance Center, Innovative Structural Glass Inc.

The Two Alliance Center is a captivating presence on Atlanta’s Buckhead skyline, featuring an entrance that is approximately 140 feet wide, 15 feet deep and 24 feet tall at its apex. The canting glass structure consists of five separate axes. Each glass axis marries to form a multi-axis glass wall, glass roof and glass soffit element. The primary support element of this entry is a ribbed construction made of glass fins and glass rafters. The focal point is a recessed glass soffit area that houses a revolving door and tempered glass swing doors. There is a continuous 20-foot long, 1 1/2-inch thick laminated glass beam that supports the glass system above the revolving door and the tempered glass swing doors.

For this project, Innovative Structural Glass, Three Rivers, Calif., took the architectural intent developed by Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates Inc. of Atlanta and engineered, designed and supplied the glass entrance system to glazing contractor Trainor Glass, Alsip, Ill., for installation.

“SRSSA’s design was complex in that it was a multi-linear construction of canting and sloping planes of glass that were ultimately interconnected,” says Manuel Marinos, president and CEO, Innovative Structural Glass. “This all-glass structure not only enclosed the ground floor of a multistory office building, but was a self-supporting glass structure capable of resisting wind forces, seismic forces, thermal expansion and contraction, building movements, live load, snow load and water penetration. This design stretched the limitations of both structural glass engineering technology and glass fabrication capability.”

From an engineering perspective, the design required that Innovative Structural Glass design the system using 3D modeling techniques and Finite Element Analysis. This was done to ensure product fit and finish, in addition to structural performance. Custom glass connection brackets had to be specially designed and manufactured to accommodate the design. Innovative Structural Glass had each new design tested by an independent testing agency to verify the engineering results.

Much of the glass was custom oversized pattern cut glass that was tempered, laminated and heat soaked. The complex glass geometry required that state-of-the-art CNC glass machining centers were used to fabricate the glass. Oversized laminating and tempering equipment was also utilized to construct single lites of glass up to 20 feet in length. Due to the complexity of the glass fabrication, its oversized nature and the specifications it had to adhere to, Innovative Structural Glass had the glass fabricated offshore. Most of the glass fabrication was so complex, in order to convey the fabrication requirements for a single lite of glass, Innovative Structural Glass had to create multiple glass fabrication drawings. Before the glass was shipped, the company sent a team of quality assurance inspectors to inspect the glass lites to ensure they met its quality standards. Ultimately, when Innovative Structural Glass shipped the materials to the job site, it supplied a design engineer to provide onsite installation training and assistance.

The Beck Group, headquartered in Dallas, was the general contractor for the project. Crane Revolving Doors, Lake Bluff, Ill., fabricated the entrance’s revolving door.

Source : www.glassmagazine.com

LEED Platinum for Asia Square, Singapore: Sustainable Architecture Redefined

Asia Square – a compilation of twin towers at Marina bay in Singapore has earned for itself, the LEED Design Core & Shell (LEED-CS) Platinum pre-certification from the US Green Building Council. This is the only building in Singapore to attain the LEED Platinum, and it has also secured the Green Mark Platinum Award for a new non-residential building from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Features like energy & water-efficiency and high indoor environmental quality, among several others, helped the twin towers earn these honours. This multiple-use sustainable tower covers 2.65 million sq ft Grade-A space and its construction will be completed by the year 2012. It is estimated that Asia Square consumes 33 % less energy and 40 % less water, when compared to the other conventional buildings of similar size.

Structure

The twin towers float above a podium structure, and sport semi-transparent glass walls and a ceiling punctuated with glass roof panes. The podium structure accommodates “The Cube” - a vibrant, 100,000 sq ft (9200 sq m) public space used for networking and recreation – Exhibitions, performances and other shows are held here on a regular basis. Asia Square also includes 280-room five-star hotel and 60,000 square feet of retail space.

Asia Square Tower-1 will feature 43 floors and Asia Square Tower-2 will feature 46 floors with the hotel occupying the 32nd to 46th floors. The retail space within Asia Square will be located on the 1st and 2nd floors in both towers.

Asia Square will be connected to surrounding developments through an extensive network of underground pedestrian walkways and second storey links.

The structure incorporates several environmentally sustainable features. It will house the largest photovoltaic cells (solar panel) installation in Singapore and also the first bio-diesel generation plant in a commercial development in the CBD.

Sustainable Features

Façade
Tower-1 uses the triple Low-E Coating double glazing and insulated spandrel heights in the façade to trap the sunlight and flood daylight into the interiors, thereby reducing the cooling cost and conserve energy to a maximum possible extent.

The Cube

The Cube – an open air plaza towering at a height of 16m - is naturally ventilated and fully landscaped. Skylights in The Cube maximize the influx of natural light during the daytime. The roof is designed in a way that reduces the need for a mechanical ventilation and smoke extraction system. Also, high ceilings allow thermal stratification and the landscaping helps further regulate temperature.

Bio-Diesel Plant

Asia Square is the first downtown commercial building in Singapore to locate the bio-diesel generation plant. The oil waste from the catering establishment is recycled into 2, 40,000 litres of bio-diesel annually, which is planned to donated to charity.

Motion Sensor

Motion Sensors are installed at all lift lobbies, toilets, car parks and staircases to vary lighting levels according to occupancy and usage, ensuring maximum energy saving.

Water Efficiency

To maximum the conservation of the all-important natural resource, highly water-efficient fittings, certified as ‘very good’ and ‘excellent’ under ‘PUB WELLS’ are selected for all basin taps, bib taps, urinals etc. Further, rain water is harvested and discharged into irrigation water tanks, which will be reused for landscape irrigation. It is estimated that approximately 65 million litres of water can be saved annually through these water-friendly fittings and processes.

Photovoltaic Cell

Asia Square has the largest renewable energy generation systems of all commercial setups in Singapore. Photovoltaic cells cover the entire roof area and generate nearly 270,000 KWh of power per year.

Air Conditioners

Chilled water for the air-conditioning systems is supplied by the district cooling plant operated by Singapore District Cooling. Variable speed drivers will ensure that the chilled water is distributed by the pumps in accordance with the buildings’ cooling load requirements, thereby contributing to energy conservation.
Lighting

All office areas are equipped with T5 light fittings, complete with high-efficiency electronic ballasts, to achieve optimal energy saving while ensuring sufficient illumination.

Photo sensors are incorporated in all office areas, which assist in reducing the use of artificial lights at the perimeter zones.

Regenerating Elevators

Elevator movement generates kinetic energy which will be converted to electrical power, which in turn will be distributed back to the grid. The elevators are therefore expected to consume 18% less power compared to buildings without the power regeneration system.

Source: www.Asia-square.com

Energy Efficient Meyer Hospital with Green Roofing

A quarter established for medical treatment of illnesses, a hospital setting calls for an environment of comfort, health and warmth. And Meyer Hospital, a paediatric hospital in Florence, Italy is furnishing its patients with all of this and much more. Recently, this hospital upgraded a wing to a “green” and “sustainable” one, the intent being to provide an environment conducive to recovery whilst consuming minimum energy and natural resources.

Meyer Hospital houses 3 wings. The east wing hosts the university and research unit; the west wing, the outpatient facilities; and a central block houses the administrative department. The main entrance of the hospital leads to a glazed passageway to a ‘healing garden’, which further leads to the spacious upper atrium. The upper atrium features a play area for children that open towards a green roof.

The upper glass of the atrium is embedded with solar electric panels to generate energy and offset glare. The glass roof is installed with 47 solar tubes, which permits natural light to enter the building. These tubes lend an appearance of several ‘Pinocchio Hats’ lining the roof of the building. The green roof acts as an insulation cover, lowering the temperature inside the hospital greatly.

The building’s walls are covered with 6 cm of thermally insulating materials. This is expected to reduce 12% of the energy used annually for heating. Wooden-frame windows are incorporated in the building. Patient rooms are protected from direct sunlight by an overhanging sunshade. To reduce the visual impact of the building in the park, the shading system is covered externally with copper-plates and internally with wood.

Two high-efficiency condensing gas boilers and radiant floor panels have been installed for supply space heating. Radiant floors help reach a thermal comfort level at a low cost. Two electrical chillers have been installed for cooling purposes. A third chiller is also installed, which generates heat for domestic hot water.

Greenhouse

A bio-climatic entrance hall called the ‘Serra’ (greenhouse) which has been built surrounding the hospital building acts as the public face of the hospital. This curved triple-height space, attached to the central wing of the villa, is an innovative and sustainable atrium. This greenhouse is shaded by internal white blinds adjustable through an automatic control system. A 31 kWp of glass/glass Photovoltaic system installed at the greenhouse provides the opportunity of combining energy production with other functions of the building envelope such as shading, weather shielding and heat production.

Sizzling Glass Pyramid at Turkey

It is now well-established that glass is a construction material like no other, that imparts aesthetic as well as functional benefits to architecture in general, and to skyscrapers in particular. And within the league of architecture that uses glass, a pyramid-shaped building stands out as one that has taken a step ahead; the Sabancı Congress and Exhibition Centre in Antalya, Turkey does just that. This multi-purpose convention complex is widely known as Glass Pyramid owing to the pyramidal structure of its roof.

Architect Levent Aksüt and Yaşar Marulyalı cast this glass pyramid using metal and glass, surrounded by round-shaped decorative ponds. This structure is located inside the Hasan Subaşı Cultural Park, the complex with a total closed area of 9,000 m² on the basement and ground floor, each floor with 4,500 m² area, with access from four sides. The main hall on the ground floor is covered with a coloured thermo plane space roof, which is 23 m high and is covered with 5,710 m² of coloured titanium blue insulating glass. This titanium blue insulated glass gives a flawless look to the glass building.

Sabanci Congress and Exhibition Centre has five halls with fully air-conditioned, ideally for various national and international congresses, seminars, exhibitions and conferences.

Toros Hall

The largest of the halls has a 2,400-seat capacity with telescopic platforms when used for conferences, and an exhibition area of 2,050 square meters. The hall is equipped with multipurpose audio, lighting, and visual systems and a mobile simultaneous interpretation cabin. On the plasma screens in the hall, various graphical views and animations can be shown. Additionally, Widi Wall visual system, first time in Turkey, is available.

Meltem Hall

It has a total area of 417 square meters and 440-seat capacity and a mobile simultaneous interpretation cabin available for conferences and meetings. State-of-the-art technology is available for meeting and conference organizations.

Duden Hall

It has a total area of 307 square meters and 340-seat capacity and four fixed simultaneous interpretation cabins available for conferences and meetings.

The remaining two halls are at the exhibition centre with ach with 87 square-meter area and 50-seat capacity. These halls may be used as a meeting room, art gallery, press room, or as a cafeteria, and during the activities audio and visual transfer is possible between the halls.

Inside the glass pyramid elevators, telephones, and rest rooms for the disabled are available. The building also includes a foyer, VIP room, doctor's office, food stand, check room, service kitchen and technical units.