HOLODECK ARCHITECTS, Austrian Embassy, Bangkok

IN BANGKOK, AN ELEGANTLY DESIGNED PV CANOPY PROVIDES POWER AND SHADE FOR AN EMBASSY COMPOUND THAT COMBINES AUSTRIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN RESEARCH, ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY WITH THAI CULTURE AND BUILDING TRADITIONS.

Architects statement:

An Embassy Building as a Representative of one nation in another cultural area acts as important social, cultural and technological link. Respecting characteristics of both countries leads to a symbiotic space. Austrian achievements in research, energy and technology intertwines with culture specific Thai way of living and building traditions.

Respect for social achievements in Thai cohabitation as well as the analysis of Thai traditional building typologies are the beginning of our design process. The implementation of findings obtained about Thai habits into the requirements of a high security office building based on European standards is the main challenge besides special energy solutions concerning weather occurrences like high temperature, high humidity and heavy rainfall. We define as common space the main courtyard with existing trees and shady areas for social interactions used by employees and visitors during performances but also as a protected area in case of emergencies. 

Main traditional resources are detachment, natural airflow, cantilevered roofs and shady trees. The topic of preventing direct sun from the inner construction layers are integrated in several ways. The detached steel roof with photovoltaic modules protects direct sun to heat up the concrete roof. The detached Laterite layer with ventilating air flow keeps away heat of sunlight from the inner, prefabricated concrete walls. Existing old trees, which have a high value in Thai society, are integrated into the holisitic and sustainable design, used as landscape elements as well as for their shading qualities to protect the glass facades from long solar impact. 

All glass elements perform high light transmission and low solar energy transportation as well as a high heat insulation value. We cared a lot about the right combination of these three values to prevent artificial light during daytime, protect the inside from getting hot and permit the building to cool down during the night.

For energy production the photovoltaic roofs work as a solar energy factory and for less energy consumption the fresh air is cooled down by the main air handling unit and sent to single fan coils. No batteries are needed as the energy is consumed during the day when it is produced.  Used air  leaves the room through overflow-louvers into the courtyard and is partly guided back to the fan coil in the suspended ceiling in the corridors. 

The structural concept of the buildings follows the idea of sustainability. They are designed as concrete skeletons, filled in with local materials. The three materials Laterite (conglomerate stone), Teak (from state plantation) and Glass/Aluminum are perfect to realize our concept of a functional envelope. To the outside Laterite and perforated Teak create a secure but transparent surface. Glass extends office spaces into the courtyard and creates a pleasant atmosphere for employees and visitors, facing nature. Laterite, once used for temples, has an interesting appearance and wonderful natural red color. Perforated Teak wood, organized from state- controlled plantations, is used as an air ventilation element surrounding the courtyard and serving as a protection filter to the street.

Project partners:

Project name: austrian embassy bangkok

Architecture Firm: HOLODECK architects

www.holodeckarchitects.com

Contact e-mail: vienna@holodeckarchitects.com

Completion Year: 2017

Gross Built Area: 1.271 sqm

Project location: No.14 Soi Nantha-Mozart, Sathorn Soi 1, South Sathorn Road, 

Thungmahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Thailand

Photo credits:  Ketsiree Wongwan  / Topview:  Pichak Thananchaibut

Lead Architects: HOLODECK architects

Design Team: Marlies Breuss, Michael Ogertschnig, Johannes Müller, Suchon Mallikamarl, Peter Hundt, Chloe Priou, Alexander Garber, Elitsa Tsankova

Clients: BMEIA Federal Ministery for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Vienna

Engineering: Gmeiner I Haferl

Building  Simulation: IPJ Ingenieurbüro P.Jung

Building Systems: PSMC Bangkok

Photovoltaic roof:  Aero Bangkok

Landscape: SNP (2004), Bahn Mun

Consultants: Four Aces Consultants Bangkok

Awards: 

->   ICONIC AWARD  Best of Best 2019 for INNOVATIVE ARCHITECTURE, Pinakothek der Moderne 7.10.2019, München EU

->   LEAF AWARDS 2019 Shortlisted for Best achievement in Environmental performance, Berlin EU

->   ARCHITIZER A+  AWARD 2019 Finalist for Institutional-Government  and Municipal Buildings, New York USA

->   THE PLAN  AWARD 2019 Honorable Mention for Research and Innovative Project, Mailand EU

->   Green GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2018 for Architecture ‚austrian embassy bangkok‘  by Chicago Athenaeum, USA

->   agpb - Austrian Green Planet Building Award 2018  by BMFIT, BM für NACHHALTIGKEIT / Tourismus und WKÖ

->   AWARD Nominee  European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture  -  Mies van der Rohe Award 2019, EU 

William McDonough + Partners, Farrer Research & Development Centre, Barcelona, Spain

The proposed Ferrer Research & Development Center defines the northern boundary of the Biopol research campus in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, created around the Duran i Reynals hospital. The biotech campus is dedicated to health sciences research in an area with an expanding knowledge economy. It is a key site in the progressive re-urbanization of the Gran Via.

The building form results from the collision of two distinct strategies: a simple, flexible building plan which facilitates laboratory re-configuration, and optimization of the solar orientation. The result is a photosynthetic green/blue building, in which all surfaces use sunlight productively.

A biological nutrient façade consists of a vegetated exterior wall, and is oriented to protect plants from the hottest sun. A louver screen protects the interior from heat gain while allowing view toward the sea. Shaded balconies become social gathering spaces while providing a location for food production and a display of medicinal plants. A vertical orchard of trees climbs the side of the building. The contrasting technical nutrient façade is a metal rainscreen with built-in shading. Photovoltaic panels on south facing surfaces generate electricity. The colors of this façade represent the wing pattern of the endangered polyommatus bellargus butterfly, which will be hatched inbetween the walls of the  building lobby—restoring biodiversity and loving all of the children of all species. Horseshoe Vetch vegetation planted on the façade will provide a food source.

The project has benefited from rigorous scientific analysis by team members in Spain. It is planned to include rainwater capture, graywater recycling, and a biologically activated waste treatment system. The building has been designed for optimized energy use, and will be outfitted with smart building controls and lighting.

STATUS

Design development

TEAM

William McDonough + Partners, Design Architect
IPB S.A., Executive Architect + MEP Engineer
Eco Intelligent Growth, Sustainability Consultant
Indus, Structural Engineers
Acieroid, Curtainwall

Richard Hammond Architects, Two Strata-titled Apartments, White Gum Valley, Western Australia.

WGV, an “Innovation through Demonstration” project by Landcorp, the Western Australian Government land and development agency, in White Gum Valley, about 3km east of Fremantle. This compact two apartment development in the mix of “innovative and sustainable” apartments and homes, built on a perfectly selected single 274m2 north facing block. It shares a well designed, maximum efficiency 5kW PV system supporting shared hot water, space heating and cooling, provided by by a 3-in-1 heat pump system utilising hydronic tubes in the ground floor slab and a single wall mounted fan coil unit on each upper floor. Double glazing, attention to sealing around doors and windows and thermal mass combined with smart controls to the solar heat pump efficiently provide year round comfort.

PV IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Oversight of power generation and distribution in WA is carried out by WEM (Wholesale Electricity Market). The WEM role is to facilitate competition and private investment, and allow generators and wholesale purchasers of electricity (such as retailers) greater flexibility as to how they sell or procure electricity, and who they transact with. Approximately 1 million households however deal with two monopolies, Synergy provides 52% of the electricity sold to households and businesses and operate power stations in the electricity SWIS (South West Interconnected System) grid extending from Kalbarri in the north, east to Kalgoorlie and south to Albany. SWIS is controlled and operated by a second WA Government monopoly, Western Power.

WEM supply price of power fluctuates between $-20/MWh to $145/MWh Assuming the highest price spike, Synergy buys power for around $0.14 /kWh and sells it to home customers for around $0.28/kWh with an added network fee or supply charge of approximately $1.30/day supporting the grid. The feed-in tariff (amount paid to household PV generators) is set at $0.07.

Regardless, PV has seen a rapid uptake in Western Australia, with around 280,000 home system generating around a GWh in the middle of the day, eating into the Synergy profits, and blamed by the monopoly for the rising power prices (nearly 50% over the last six years). The monopoly has resisted the inevitable changes, responding reluctantly to the clean energy opportunities presenting themselves, particularly in the wind and sun rich Western Australian environment.

Ross Barney Architects, McDonald's Flagship at Clark and Ontario, Chicago, USA

All photos by Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers

Project notes by Architect:

The new Chicago Flagship celebrates the pure simplicity and enduring authenticity of McDonalds, welcoming both residents and visitors to a playful and informal gathering place in the heart of the city.

The site is a full city block, just steps off Michigan Avenue, occupied since 1985 by the iconic “Rock ‘n Roll” McDonalds that emphasized drive through services. The new design re-balances car-pedestrian traffic creating a city oasis where people can eat, drink and meet. Green space is expanded over 400%, producing a new park-like amenity for a dense area of the city. 

A generous solar pergola visually unites the restaurant into a single volume. Beneath this “big roof”, indoor dining areas, contained in a pure glass box, are seamlessly connected to outdoor spaces. The new kitchen reuses the footprint and structure of the previous store and comprises a second concrete clad box. 

The dining room features a garden planted with ferns and white birch trees floating above a digital ordering “street”. From this vantage point guests can experience the landscape beyond and above. Over shared tables with wireless charging and outlets, “tapestries” of living plants improve indoor air quality and provide a backdrop of green gradients. What might surprise many can be found on the adjacent kitchen roof: a row of harvestable apple trees can be seen through a clerestory window, telling a story about the future of urban farming and the utilization of often underused space.   

McDonald’s corporate commitment to sustainability is at the core of the new restaurant design. The structural system, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), will be the first commercial use in Chicago and has a lighter environmental footprint than concrete and steel. The solar pergola will capture the sun’s energy, supplying part of the buildings consumption needs. Throughout the site, permeable paving is used to reduce storm water runoff and the heat island effect. The building is designed to achieve LEED Platinum performance.

Ross Barney Architects - Design Architect and Landscape Architect

http://www.r-barc.com

Project Team Credits

Ross Barney Architects - Design Architect and Landscape Architect

Landini Associates – Interior Design 

Goodfriend Magruder Structures – Structural Engineer

Omni Ecosystems – Green Wall and Green Roof Design 

WCW Engineers – Mechanical and Plumbing Engineer

Dickerson Electrical Engineers – Electrical Engineering

Schuler Shook – Lighting Design

Day and Night Solar – PV Solar Pergola Design 

Watermark Engineering – Civil Engineering

Compass Surveying – Surveyor 

Northam Boulevard Shopping Centre PV Car Park, Western Australia installed by Perdaman Advanced Energy

Northam, with a population of about 6500, is about 96km east of Perth. An upgrade to the Boulevard Shopping Centre included a solar-powered, shaded car park and with 900 solar panels together with a roof mounted array this provides around 40% of the shopping centre’s annual power requirements. Perdaman Advanced Energy funded the capital cost of the project and the facility owner entered into a PPA (power purchase agreement) purchasing the power generated by the facility at a lower rate than grid power. Apart from cheaper power, an important factor for the shopping centre owner is the shade and cooling provided to shoppers.

https://www.perdamanadvancedenergy.com.au

For more on the Solar PPA see Neat DEVELOPMENTS, 28 Sept, 2018

HHS Planer + Architekten AG, Kassel, AKTIV-STADTHAUS, Frankfurt, Germany

This apartment building in Frankfurt demonstrates clearly that PV power generated on the fabric of the building, enhances the overall aesthetic quality of that building and a confined city centre site. 

Completed in 2015 for ABG Holding Frankfurt, this eight-storey apartment building in Frankfurt, based on the Effizienzhaus Plus energy efficiency standard. It is also built to the standards and requirements  of the German Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS). 

The building presents both the BMVBS and ABG Holding with a research and presentation object, which provides an example of sustainable building in the context of climate change and Germany’s energy transition. This project aims to test the applicability of the existing PlusEnergy design concept, which has already been used in single-dwelling units, for the first time to a large-scale apartment building in the centre of a major city. 

The building, which is approximately 150 metres long and only 10 metres wide, has 74 rental units ranging from two to four-room apartments. 

The building’s energy source is its large mono-pitch roof. To generate sufficient electrical energy using the installed solar power modules, it protrudes over the body of the building on all sides. The south façade is also fitted with solar power modules. 

A nearby sewer, from which heat is extracted using heat exchangers, provides a heat source for the building. The apartments are supplied with drinking and process water via heat pumps and large buffer tanks. To alleviate the burden on the electricity network, battery storage increases the internal consumption of the self-generated electrical energy. The electric cars on the ground floor, which can be used on a car-sharing basis, support this system. 

The tenants can avail of this innovative energy and supply system through a flat-rate rental payment. A touch panel installed in the apartments enables them to track their individual power consumption at all times

All photographs by Constantin Meyer, Cologne

www.hhs.ag/projekte.html

Ingenhoven Architects, Town Hall, Freiburg, Germany

Freiburg Town Hall presents an elegant and persuasive case for well designed PV Power Generating Buildings. Remarkably, for a building designed to house 840 employees, it meets net-surplus-energy standards in a region with 1800 sunshine hours per year. Compare this to Adelaide with 2774 or Sydney with 2597 sunshine hours per year. The design integrates 880 modules mounted on 3.5m by .6m custom metal frames, aligned to the sun, both generating power and reducing heat loads on the glazed building facade. 

Architerra, Clark University, Alumni & Student Engagement Centre, Massachusetts, USA

Completed in 2016 and designed to achieve zero-net energy performance, the centre will generate 50% of estimated power needs from the cantilevered roof canopy and a further 50% from a PV canopy over an adjacent parking lot. 

C.F.MØLLER ARCHITECTS, COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NORDHAVN, COPENHAGEN. 2017

Cladding on the Copenhagen International School building, located in Copenhagen’s Nordhaven (the North Harbour) Quarter will generate more than half the schools annual energy needs. The 12,000 blue/green PV panels use a process of light interference developed by Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne, Switzerland applied to glass with a filter that determines which wavelengths of light to be reflected as visible colour. The rest of the sunlight is absorbed by the solar panel and converted into energy, producing 300MWh of electricity for the school per year. This is an impressive figure considering Copenhagen has an yearly average of 1780 sunlight hours. Giving this figure some perspective, Melbourne, with the lowest capital city sunlight hours in Australia has 2200 and Perth with the best has 3200.   

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley, California, 2015

Photo: Tim Griffith

Photo: Tim Griffith

Photo: Tim Griffith

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects:

Founded on the conviction that design can help address some of society’s most pressing challenges, the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley, is devoted to introducing sustainable design innovation at the center of engineering education and university life. The project was conceived by the College of Engineering as an interdisciplinary hub for students and teachers from across the university who work at the intersection of design and technology.  It is designed as both a collaborative, project-based educational space and a symbol to the region of the University’s commitment to sustainable innovation.   

The tiny corner site, formerly a volleyball court, lies at the northern edge of campus within a dense, diverse context.  Two 4-story engineering buildings border the site on the west and south. Single family residences and apartment buildings line the street to the north. An existing two-level basement lies directly beneath 35% of the site. 

The program, intended to accommodate up to 2,000 students per semester, includes flexible design studios, project rooms, support spaces and fabrication equipment rooms containing a variety of rapid prototyping tools and equipment.

The PV arrays have enabled the building to use 90% less energy than the national median for university buildings per EPA Target Finder.

www.lmsarch.com

The 80 kW PV system: 

Allowing the architects graceful, yet practical roof design to reach its full potential, Sungevity, the PV designers needed to match the best solar panel technology. They settled on a custom system that uses two different types of solar panels: high quality polycrystalline panels at the centre of the installation and unique double glass frameless, bifacial panels on the edges. The outer panels were supplied by Sunpreme, a company taking   PV solar installations from purely functional afterthought to visually attractive roof-top designs. The product has a wide range of urban applications, and will be an important part of a move to bringing together clean power generation with good design. 

 http://blog.sungevity.com/business/2015108sungevity-installs-cutting-edge-solar-system-at-uc-berkeleys-jacobs-hall/ 

http://www.sunpreme.com/symmetric-bifacial-architecture/

O&O Baukunst, Germany, 2012

GALERIE UNTER STROM POTSDAM 2012 - This pavilion is a prototype for the possible use of photovoltaic technology in space-shaping architectural elements.
Wall panels measuring 4 metres high and 1 metre wide are used to form all the facades of the 35-metre-long building. The panels are held in a structural steel frame.

On the outside the photovoltaic elements are positioned behind a continuous pane of glass. On the inner face the copper bands are visible behind the glass, forming a finely articulated wall cladding. 

http://www.ortner-ortner.de

THE SMITHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, PANAMA, KISS + CATHCART, ARCHITECTS

Completed in 2003, the Smithsonian research campus in Panama goes some way towards an ideal of “zero-impact”. Minimising energy demand, the building uses natural ventilation, double roof shading with semi translucent canopy roof, dual stage split system with individual units for specific spaces and ceiling fans throughout. The buildings 30kW BiPV roof produces approximately 75% of the buildings base energy requirements.

SHADE STRUCTURE, PARC DEL FÒRUM, BARCELONA

The Parc del Fòrum PV shade structure provides a venue for a range of large scale local events such as trade fairs and music festivals. Currently it is in the process of being fitted out as an urban adventure park "Bosc Urba", with zip-lines, nets, vines, bungee jumping and bridge challenges for all ages with the orange course for children, blue for children over 8 and a red course for the experiensed thrill seekers.

The PV roof of the shade structure, with the solar pergola will have a combined power capacity projected to be 1.3MW. 

"SOLAR PERGOLA" PARC DEL FÒRUM, BARCELONA

Built in 2004, this landmark PV sculpture on the Barcelona waterfront overlooks Port Forum and the Mediterranean Sea.  Created for the "Universal Forum of Cultures" it was part of a wider rejuvenation of an area previously dominated by a sewerage treatment plant. The "pergola" structure is supported on four concrete plinths and pitched at 35 degrees with an elegantly skew,  it transforms what would otherwise be an exposed and inhospitable space the size of a football field into anther adaptable, shaded civic space.

The generation system, designed by Phönix SonnenStrom AG comprises of 2668 mono-crystalline panels rated at 444 kilowatts and is connected to the grid.

Overall design was carried out by Jose Antonio Martinez Lapena Elias Torres.  www.jamlet.net

, 

ZARA, COLOGNE

Installed in 2003, the PV facade of the Cologne Zara boutique is stylish, eye-catching and productive. The PV panel cladding was installed by the company as an alternative to polished marble. A Spanish company, Zara is one of the worlds largest clothing and accessories retailers and is based in Arteixo, Galicia. 

Nature & Environment Learning Centre, Amsterdam

Source:    ArchDaily

Project:    Nature & Environment Learning Centre

Client:        City of Amsterdam

Location:    Heggerankweg 871, 1032 JC Amsterdam, Netherlands

Architect:    Bureau SLA

Photos:    Filip Dujardin

Two features of the energy neutral City of Amsterdam Environment Learning Centre stand out. Firstly, the centre’s PV roof, clad with block pattern slats dimensioned to match the solar modules and allow for the modules to be flush with the roof surface. The PV panels appear integral, rather than tacked on, and form a working functional part of the building fabric. The second, on the South facade of the building, are the Trombe walls. Sunlight heats the dark concrete slabs sitting behind glass panels, the concreteheats the fresh air between the glass and concrete and interior vents are opened on cold days, allowing warm fresh air to heat the interior of the building. On warm days, the vent is kept closed and operable windows between the Trombe walls provide cross ventilation. 

http://www.archdaily.com/778961/nature-and-environment-learning-centre-bureau-sla:    

Norwegian Ambassadors Residence, Kathmandu

An essential app In Kathmandu is LoadShedding. You set it to your "group" or area and it reminds you when your power is about to be cut, how long it will be cut off for, when it is about to be turned on again and how long it will be on again for. The Norwegian Ambassador won't be needing LoadShedding. The well designed PV array at the Residency provides shade for vehicles, but importantly, also makes a statement about Norway's commitment to clean energy.  

Roxbury E+ Townhouses, Boston by Interface Studio Architects

All photographs by Sam Oberter

Designed by Interface Studio Architects, the four townhouse, Roxbury E+ project, is part of the E+ Green Building Program to develop energy-positive housing in Boston.

The town-houses are of insulated timber frame construction with optimally oriented and angled, mono-pitched roofs that are suitably dimensioned to house the solar panels that produce power in excess of the needs of the occupants. The mono-pitched roof further allows for high, triple-glazing on the shaded side of the town-houses, giving energy efficient year round ambient natural daylight. 

Interface Studio Architects

dezzeen magazine 

SOLAR DECATHLON

In 2002 the US Department of Energy began the Solar Decathlon as a competition between university teams from around the world "to design, build and operate a solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy efficient, and attractive".

The winner demonstrates the best blend of: "affordability,consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency".

It is now a biennial event with the next competition in 2015 at in Irvine, California.

The success of the event led to the Spanish and US Governments creating Solar Decathlon Europe in 2007. This was followed by Solar Decathlon China in 2011 and Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean to hold its first competition in 2015 at Universidad del Valle in Santiago de Cali, Columbia. This competition will focus on social housing projects tailored for tropical conditions.   

From time to time we will link a Solar Decathlon team entry in Neat Design. What firstly comes to mind in all of these student explorations, is how far they are from main stream home builder offerings. Apart from the obvious energy priorities, they are all light, open and flexible. 

The Dutch TU Delft teams 2014 Pre-a-Loger submission, brings these qualities to a sixties terrace house and finished first in Sustainability and Communication & Social Awareness, second in Energy Efficiency and Construction Management & Safety. Overall the team won third prize only three points behind the Italian team which won the first prize. 

By adding a 'second skin', including a PV glass structure on the side facing the sun the house has year round comfort and runs completely on solar energy. By modifying an old terraced house, the team demonstrated how existing housing stock can be made more comfortable and energy efficient. 

Green Dot Animo Leadership High School, Inglewood, California

500 PV panels cover a long south-facing wall of Green Dot Animo Leadership High School in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles International Airport. The new school building cost was $15.2 million and the PV system cost was 4.5% of this. In California, Proposition 55, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004, covered half the system cost and provided a long-term, low interest loan for the balance. The PV power provides 75% of the schools power saving around $70,000 annually, allowing for gradual payback and lower operating costs.

The school was designed by Brooks + Scarpa Architects

http://www.brooksscarpa.com

http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/Building_types_study/K-12/2014/1401-green-dot-animo-leadership-high-school-brooks-scarpa-architects.asp