BTECH: ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY, YEAR 2 AES400S PROJECT 3: TECHNICAL RESEARCH FOR APD PROJECT 6 TOPIC: SCREENS/ SKINS APPLIED TO BUILDINGS FACADES

Transcription

1 BTECH: ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY, YEAR 2 AES400S PROJECT 3: TECHNICAL RESEARCH FOR APD PROJECT 6 TOPIC: SCREENS/ SKINS APPLIED TO BUILDINGS FACADES BY ABDURRAZAAQ CHAFEKER

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Table of Contents 1 2. Identification: 2 3. Investigation: 3 4. Strategy: 7 5. APD Project 6 drawings Bibliography: 11 1

3 1. IDENTIFICATION: The topic chosen for this project is exploring the use of expressive and functional screens or skins attached to facades of buildings. This will include a study of glazing used without screens or skins to produce an expressive glass box as part of the building. The concept of my building is the creation of a Multi Media Landmark in the Cityscape. This landmark will be highly visual and convey to the public the image/ identity of the building and the public will be able to see the activities within the building through the use of expressive glass boxes. The screens or skins will strengthen the concept in the following ways: 1. Improve the visual appearance of the building. 2. House LED screens attached to the skin that will enhance the visibility of the building and its image in the Cityscape. 3. Give the building a Hi-tech aesthetic that reflects the technologically driven nature of the multi media function of the building. 4. Allow for big glazed areas so occupants can see out of the building to enjoy the view of the surroundings, and allow the public to see into the building and the functioning thereof. The screens/ skins and glass boxes will be used to improve the functioning of the building in the following ways: 1. Provide horizontal sun shading on the Northern facades. 2. Provide vertical shading on the on the West and East facing facades. 3. Keep moisture away from the structure. 4. Provide balconies and balustrades. 5. Shield off the wind from external spaces. 6. Provide an insulative layer on the outside of the building, thus improving the buildings thermal performance. 7. Improve the natural lighting and ventilation of the facilities 8. Glass boxes to support crucial well lit facilities like studios etc. 9. Through shading/ cooling and improving lighting, the building will lower its environmental footprint by not relying on mechanical air conditioning and use of artificial lighting during the daytime. Based on this reasoning, the screen/ skin will serve as more than an aesthetic element, but Adjacent images of CH2 building by Designinc in Melbourne. The building offers a variety of screens from timber, metal and planting for cooling/ shading. Image by Dianna Snape. Pasona Urban Farm by Kono Design in Tokyo, has a green screen as a shading/ cooling element as well as conveys the image and functionality of building. Images by Kono Design. Section through APD Project 6 Scheme. 1. Housing of solar panels and water storage tanks. 2 Roof Garden. 3 Screen/ skin. 4 Glass boxes Glass to have solar control film. 5 Floor to ceiling glazing to allow for maximum day lighting and enjoyment of views. 2 improve the functioning of the building,

4 2. INVESTIGATION: We start off the investigation by looking at the purposes or benefits of screens or skins applied to buildings facades. According Griffiths (n.d) skins applied to facades are generally used in buildings for the following reasons : 1. Control the level of light entering the building. 2. Provide privacy to its occupants. 3. Provide security to the occupants of buildings and valuables. 4. Improve the aesthetic and visual expressive nature of the building. 5. Maintaining of views out of building whilst still providing shading from any harsh sunlight. 6. Keeping rain off the building (waterproofing), thus improving longevity of buildings. 7. Provide an insulative layer to the building improving its thermal performance. The variety of materials used to create these expressive skins is endless, limited only by the available materials, labour and cost. These skins are generally comprised of a steel framework and clad with perforated metal, steel or timber slats, aluminium panels, glass, LED screens, planting etc. Concrete and clay has been used in older buildings as well (see Brise Soleil ). We will move onto 3 case study buildings that are prominent for their use of screens. The 3 we will explore are: 1. Sun control 2. Privacy for occupants of building 1. Biovac Building Phase 1 by StudioMas Architects, 2007 Cape Town South Africa. 4. Improving the external appearance of building 5. Maintaining views out of building 2. Orange Cube building by Jakob and Macfarlane Architects, 2011Lyon France. 3. SDU Campus by Henning Larsen Archiotects, 2014 Kolding Denmark. We will then have a look at the Bioinnova building completed in 2012 by Tatiana Bilbao in Mexico as a 4 th case study for the use of expressive glass boxes without any screens or skins over it and how to use this idea to create comfortable and usable spaces. 6. Keeping rain off building 7. Insulative barrier 3

5 1. BIOVAC BUILDING PHASE 1 This is a local example as undertaken by StudioMas Architects. The building in Ndabeni houses laboratories and offices for the company Biovac. Natural lighting to these areas was seen as a premium, while the budget was limited. The building was to create a statement and communicate its identity facing onto a very busy boulevard. The architects designed a simplistic yet pleasing façade that offers sun shading where required and allows voids in screen to naturally light certain interiors requiring great lighting. The skin comprises of a galvanised steel framework of which aluminium perforated (or punctured) panels are fixed to the framework using double sided tape. The skin provides an aesthetically pleasing play of natural light internally. 2. ORANGE CUBE BUILDING View of the perforated skin, attached to a steel framework and tied back to building, providing shade to interior of building. Images by StudioMas Architects. Diagrammatic section (right) 1. Filtered light allowed into building. 2 Perforated skin. 3 Openings allowing natural to enter building here. 4 Openings in façade. 5 Steel framework. Diagram by Author. This building designed by Jakob and Macfarlane Architects in Lyon, France is located on the edge of a river in an industrial area. The building is seen as an orthogonal cube with a giant hole carved deep horizontally into the building. This hole is there to introduce natural lighting deep into the building and ventilation and orientate views out of the building. This hole changes direction and exits the building vertically (see section). The building comprises of a concrete framed structure with infill glazing and a light metal framework attached to the building. The skin comprises of a slender section metal framework with perforated metal between with pixelated random openings. The façade is employed to improve the thermal performance of the building and user comfort whilst not relying on artificial lighting and thus lowering the energy consumption of the building. Most of the offices and user spaces received a daylight factor of 2% (Archdaily 2011), According to Comfortable Low Energy Architecture (n.d), a daylight factor of 2% is a good balance between lighting and thermal aspects, so this building achieves this comfortably. Lastly, the façade extends above the roof to create a pleasant terraced roof space that is Image above displays the pixelated metal façade with the hole carved into the building for ventilation, views and lighting purposes. The image on the right is a detail of the metal façade displaying the mesh with randomly placed openings (pixelations). Images by Roland Halbe bathed in natural lighting and affords wonderful views of the harbour. 4

6 Diagrammatic section through façade and edge of building. 1 Internal skin of façade with floor to ceiling height glazing. 2 Sunlight. 3 Controlled amount of light entering building. 4 Views out of building maintained. 5 Steel framework of façade with perforated metal Section through orange cube showing the hole carved into building for lighting, ventilation skin. Diagram by author. and views. Drawing by Jakob and Macfarlane Architects. 3. SDU CAMPUS Located along the Kolding river in Kolding, Denmark, this triangular shaped landmark building houses the communication, design, culture and language faculties for the University of Southern Denmark. The main feature of this building is the expressive façade. The façade comprises of perforated steel solar shading panels. These triangular shaped solar shading devices are equipped with sensors that measure light and heat levels inside the building and adjusts by either opening, semi opening or closing automatically via a small motor installed. This system allows for optimal user comfort in terms of lighting and heating. There are approximately 1600 shutters installed on the buildings surfaces. Aerial view of SDU Campus in its context. Image by Martin Schubert Adjacent images displaying the functioning and operability of the triangular façade. Images by Martin Schubert. Diagramatic section through façade and edge of building. 1 Glazing. 2 Sunlight. 3 Controlled light. 4 Maintaining of views out of building. 5 Operable steel sunshading. Diagram by Author. 5

7 4. BIOINNOVA BUILDING The Bioinnova building as designed by Tatiana Bilbao is located in Mexico and forms part of a private university campus. The cantilevered glass boxes with concrete roof / floor planes allows for sun shading for the spaces below it. The boxes that cantilevers out has ample natural lighting due to the fully glazed faces. The glazing does provide a means of solar control through the use of Solar Control Films applied to the surface of the glazing. These films allows for sun control whilst still allowing the spaces to be well lit naturally. The film keeps out uncomfortable glare and prevents over heating of the internal spaces. The film along with the use of double glazing gives the building great insulative properties and prevents heat from escaping in the cold weather periods and keeps the heat out in the harsh hot seasons. The cavity between the 2 layers of glass is filled with argon gas which construction expert Rodriguez (n.d) says improves the insulative qualities of the buildings. All these factors allow less reliance on artificial lighting during the day and energy consuming air conditioning for heating/ cooling of spaces. This improves the environmental performance of the building. Above photograph showing the fully glazed faces of the cantilevered glass boxes of the Bioinnova Building. Image by Iwaan Baan. Diagrammatic section and detail adjacent. 1 Concrete structure. 2 internal layer of glazing. 3 Solar control film applied to external layer of glazing. 4 Steel structural support to glazing. 5 Argon gas in cavity of glazing to create an insulative barrier to the insides of building. 6 Metal Closure. Diagram by Author. Section drawing below by Tatiana Bilbao Architect. 6

8 3. STRATEGY: 3.1 APPLICATION OF SCREENS/ SKINS TO FACADES TO APD PROJECT 6: PLEASE NOTE: REFERENCE ADJACENT PLAN DIAGRAM 1. The façade to be applied to my landmark building will be used as a framework to house the LED screens that will be used to communicate crucial messages via animations or digital posters to the public. 2. The skin will be used on the north facing parts of the building to create horizontal shading to the interiors. The building will have floor to ceiling height glazing to enjoy views of the city, harbour Plan diagram of Multimedia Landmark building above read with adjacent text. and mountains while allowing the public to see into the building to observe its functioning. 3. On the west facing parts of the building, densely spaced slats will be incorporated into façade whilst still allowing sufficient lighting and access to views of the mountain. 4. Similar to the above, densely spaced slats for shading on the East facing facades whilst still maintaining all the views. 5. The use of double glazed glass boxes with Solar Control Film to allow for fully glazed faces to the boxes, whilst still maintaining views, and keeping these studio spaces well lit naturally. 6. The façade will be used an expressive element, enhancing the visual nature of the building, improving on the landmark concept of the building. 7. Provide for an insulative layer on the outer surface of the building improving the thermal performance of the building. Adjacent sketches displaying the implementation of the principles of the case studies into the design of the APD Project 6. Sketches by Author 8. The skin will be used to shield the building of rain, especially along the North West facing parts of the building, where the rain arrives from. And improve the longevity of the building. 7

9 Detailed Sketch of the proposed technical resolution of an East Facing Façade with the accompanying Technical drawing of the construction of the screen. Drawings by Author 8

10 3.2 ADDRESSING OF ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONCERNS: The screens/ skins on the Facades addresses the following issues relating to sustainability of buildings: Environmental: Heating and Cooling: The screens offers shade to the interior spaces of the building thus passively cooling the building. The façade however manages to allow light in that heats the spaces in colder seasons. This lessens the buildings reliance on energy consuming Mechanical means. Embodied Energy: The façade comprises of steel that would be obtained from recycled sources, lowering the embodied energy of the building. Recycled/ Re use: As mentioned above, the steel façade will be of recycled sources and will be West Facing Corner with closely spaced slats to shield off Western Sun. available for recycling/ re use once the building has completed its lifespan. Economic: Local contractors, materials, components, and maintenance will be used for the manufacture, installation and maintenance of the screens. Material and Components: The dimensions should be standardised and repeated (modular) so that there will be as little wastage as possible. Social: Day lighting: The façade allows for floor to ceiling glazing, improving day lighting. Ventilation: The internal skin of the building will be operable and allow for passive ventilation. Noise: The façade will assist in noise reduction from outside from the busy streets in the immediate vicinity. North Facing Corner with slats spaced more higher to shield off Northern light, whilst still allowing light into spaces in winter Views: The façade allows for floor to ceiling height glazing that allows for ample views of the beautiful mountains, harbour, city etc. whilst keeping out harsh sunlight. Environmental control: The internal skin of glazing will be operable and allow uses to open/ close windows for their own comfort. In summary, screens/ skins should be applied to all buildings to improve user comfort by creating shading whilst still allowing for views out of building and allowing natural lighting in. This will lessen the reliance on artificial lighting and mechanical ventilation. In this manner the building will have a smaller footprint on our deteriorating environment, whilst still maintaining pleasant spaces for the occupants of the building. East Facing corner with closely spaced slats and LED screens facing public movement 9

11 3.3 DRAWINGS OF APD PROJECT 6 South west elevation (view from Mechau Street) South East Elevation (View from My City Bus Stop) North East Elevation (View from Hans Strijdom Street) North West Elevation (view from Bree Street) 10

12 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hole Lot of Sense: smart uses for perforated façades and Hole Lot of Sense: smart uses for perforated façades and... [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 21 July 2015]. The Orange Cube / Jakob + Macfarlane Architects ArchDaily The Orange Cube / Jakob + Macfarlane Architects ArchDaily. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 25 July 2015]. SDU Campus Kolding / Henning Larsen Architects ArchDaily SDU Campus Kolding / Henning Larsen Architects ArchDaily. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 25 July 2015]. studiomas Architecture & Urban Design studiomas Architecture & Urban Design. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 25 July 2015]. Daylight factor Daylight factor. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 26 July 2015]. llumar South Africa llumar South Africa. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 21 August 2015]. Bioinnova / Tatiana Bilbao ArchDaily Bioinnova / Tatiana Bilbao ArchDaily. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 21 August 2015]. Juan Rodriguez Argon Gas Window: Benefits of Argon Filled Windows. [ONLINE] Available at: Windows/a/Argon-Gas-Window-Benefits-Of-Argon-Filled-Windows.htm. [Accessed 21 August 15]. 11