AL-BAHR TOWERS

ABU DHABI.
 AL-BAHAR
ABU-DHABI,UAE

ARCHITECT: Aedas Architects

CONSTRUCTION COMPANY: Al-Futtaim Carillion
FOUNDER: Council Investment Abu Dhabi
YEAR OF DESIGN: 2008
YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION: 2009-2012
ROOF HEIGHT: 145.1 m
TOP FLOOR HEIGHT: 120.0 m
FLOORS: 27 + 2 basement levels
LAND AREA: 100.080 m²
FLOOR AREA: 56.000 m²

1
LOCATION:
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CLIMATE: HOT DESERT CLIMATE
HIGHEST TEMP:120 F
N
2
 SITE ANALYSIS
SITE PLANNING: TWO TWIN OFFICE TOWERS FACING SOUTH ARE PLACED ON SITE CONNECTED BY SKYWALK.
SITE CONDITION :VERY HOT CLIMATE SO NEED TO CONTROL TEMP., TOWERS PLACED FACING SOUTH FOR MAXIMUM
UTILISATION OF SOLAR ENERGY PRESENT IN ABUNDENCE.
Entry/Exit

N
3
PRINCIPLES
• DESIGN PRICNCIPLE IS TO ACHIEVE A PERFORMANCE ORIENTED, CULTURALLY
RELEVANT, TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED, AND AESTHETICALLY INTRIGUING
BUILDING.

PLANNING
• BASED ON SIX TANGENTIAL ARCS,TAKEN FROM
THREE INTERSECTING CIRCLES
• A PATTERN WHICH FORMS THE BASIS OF NEARLY
ALL GEOMETRIC CONFIGURATIONS KNOWN TO
THE REGION.

4
 CONCEPT
• THE DESIGN CONCEPT IS BASED ON THE FUSION BETWEEN BIO-INSPIRATION, REGIONAL ARCHITECTURE,
AND PERFORMANCE-BASED TECHNOLOGY.
• CIRCLES AND ORBITS ARE USED TO REFLECT THE CONCEPT OF UNIFICATION AND UNITY EVIDENT IN
NATURE.
• THE DESIGN IS DRIVEN FROM ITS CONTEXT, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ENVIRONMENT, TRADITION, AND
TECHNOLOGY
• THIS INITIAL SKETCH ILLUSTRATES THE INTEGRATION OF THESE ELEMENTS. WHILE EACH DESIGN FEATURE
OF THE AL-BAHR TOWERS IS INFUSED WITH THIS BALANCE, THIS ARTICLE WILL FOCUS ON THE DYNAMIC
FACADE.
• PETER OBORN DESCRIBES THE BEGINNING OF THE AL-BAHR TOWERS DESIGN: “WE WANTED TO CREATE A
BUILDING WHICH WOULD SET NEW STANDARDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND BEGAN TO
EXPLORE THE EMERGING FORM IN ORDER TO STUDY WHICH PARTS OF THE BUILDING WOULD REQUIRE
THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF SOLAR PROTECTIONWITH THE INTENTION THAT WE WOULD THEN DESIGN SOME
FORM OF ‘MASHRABIYA’ TO SCREEN THESE AREAS

BIO-INSPIRATION
• “TO ABSTRACT IDEAS FROM BIOLOGY AND TURN THEM INTO PRACTICAL ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
REQUIRES ALL DISCIPLINES TO CONTRIBUTE.” (JOHN, CLEMENTS-CROOME & JERONIMIDIS, 2004)
• TO GATHER AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM AROUND COMMON DESIGN IDEAS WE FOUND REFERENCES IN
NATURE TO WHICH WE COULD ALL RELATE. FROM EARLY ON THE INTENTION WAS SET TO EXPLORE BIO-
INSPIRATION.
• GUIDINGEXAMPLES WERE DRAWN FROM THE FORMS OF CACTUS, PINEAPPLES, FLOWERS AND OTHER
NATURAL SYSTEMS.
• A CACTUS HAS UMBRELLA-LIKE FEATURES TO PROTECT ITS DELICATE WEATHER-TIGHT SKIN. FLOWERS
OPEN AND CLOSE IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE PINEAPPLE’S HEXAGONAL
ENVELOPE COVERS A DOUBLE-CURVED SURFACE EFFICIENTLY. WE SOUGHT TO EMBODY THESE
ATTRIBUTES IN THE DESIGN OF THE TOWERS. 5
6
 DESIGN ELEMENTS

• THE DESIGN IS BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF ADAPTIVE FLOWERS AND THE

"MASHRABIYA" - A WOODEN LATTICE SHADING SCREEN

SCREENS
•A DYNAMIC AND SENSITIVE SHADING SCREEN ACTING AS'
MASHRABIYA “
•SECONDARY SKIN FILTERS THE LIGHT AND REDUCES GLARE.
•POWERED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY DERIVED FROM
PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS.
•WRAPS GIANT LATTICE ALMOST TWO TOWERS COMPLETELY
EXCEPT FOR THE AREA NORTH-FACING FACADES.

AL- BAHR TOWER SCREEN’S MODULE

7
 STRUCTURE
•THE DESIGN FOR THE PROJECT BEGAN WITH TWO SIMPLE CYLINDERS, BECAUSE THE CIRCULAR PLAN
GIVING THE MOST EFFICIENT FLOOR AREA USAGE WHILE ALSO CREATING THE GREATEST VOLUME WITH THE
LEAST SURFACE AREA WHICH WILL HIGHLY REDUCE THE SUN EXPOSURE SURFACE AREA .

FORM STRUCTURE ENVELOPE ADAPTIVE SOLUTION INTEGRATION

8
 Photovoltaic slopes
southwards to
Roof mounted
maximise solar gain
Photovoltaic cells
like leaf

Translucent Mashrabiya Shading effect

appears cool and similar to the
crystalline form of nature

Water feature to
Sky Garden provides maximise evaporate
natural cooling effect cooling

Sky garden located in area Natural Optimised

of Max. exposure to form
reduce heat gain

Sky garden reflects courtyard Islamic device

treatment provideing amenities space creates a new
for users Vernacilar
Hexagonal
Mashrabiya -
geometry – Islamic
Makrana
Architecture
 THE INSPIRITION FOR THE FACADE
• THE TOWERS FEATURE A DYNAMIC, TRANSLUCENT FACADE THAT OPENS AND CLOSES IN RESPONSE TO THE
SUN'S MOVEMENT, REDUCING SOLAR GAIN ON THE FACADE BY UP TO 50%.
• THE FACADE IS INSPIRED BY "MASHRABIYA", A FORM OF WOODEN LATTICE SCREEN USED IN ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE AS A MEANS OF RETAINING PRIVACY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REDUCING GLARE AND
SOLAR GAIN.
• TRANSLUCENT, UMBRELLA-LIKE COMPONENTS MAKE UP THE FACADE; THERE ARE 2,000 OF THESE
"MASHRABIYA" COMPONENTS ON EACH TOWER.

10
 THE FACADE ACCORDING TO THE SUN PATH

GRADIENT BASED ON
FULLY CLOSED HALF OPEN 11 FULLY OPEN SUN PATH
 OPERATION
•AS THE SUN RISES IN THE MORNING IN THE EAST, THE
MASHRABIYA ALONG THIS SIDE OF THE BUILDING WILL BEGIN TO
CLOSE, AND WHEN THE SUN MOVES AROUND THE BUILDING, ALL
VERTICAL STRIP MASHRABIYA MOVE WITH THE SUN.
•AT NIGHT ALL SCREENS FOLD, ALLOWING MORE OF THE FACADE.

AL BAHR TOWER IN DAY TIME AL BAHR TOWER AT NIGHT

12
Towers Al Bahar have The effects of this system ”Mashrabiya" in Al
implementation of are comprehensive: reduced Bahar Towers has a
advanced detection glare, improved daylight number of
system designed to penetration, less reliance on components
integrate the building artificial lighting, and over transparent umbrella
with its cultural context 50% reduction in solar gain, that open and close in
and respond directly to which results in a reduction response to the sun's
the needs of the of CO2 emissions by 1,750 path.
region's climate. tones per year.

13
• THE AL BAHAR TOWERS TOOK INSPIRATION FROM
TRADIONAL ISLAMIC MOTIF TO DESIGN AN
INOVATIVE AND VISUALLY INTERESTING EXTERNAL
AUTOMATED SHADING SYSTEM.
• THE DYNAMIC FAÇADE HAS BEEN CONCIEVED AS A
CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF THE
TRADIONAL ISLAMIC “ MASHRABIYA”( A POPULAR
FORM OF WOODEN LATTICES SCREEN USED AS
DEVICE FOR ACHIEVING PRIVACY WHILE REDUCING
GLARE AND SOLAR GAIN.
• CLOSED STATE PROVIDING SHADING TO THE INNER
GLAZING SKIN. AS THE SUN MOVES AROUND THE
BUILDING EACH
• MASHRABIYA UNIT WILL PROGRESSIVELY OPEN.

BUILDING WITHOUT SHADING BUILDING WITH SHADING BUILDING WITH DYNAMIC

SYSTEM SYSTEM (FINS) 14 SHADING SYSTEM
TORRES - "COCOON BUILDINGS"
• BASED ON A PRE-RATIONALIZED GEOMETRIC SHAPE, TUNED VIA PARAMETRIC DESIGN TOOLS TO ACHIEVE THE
OPTIMAL RATIO OF SURFACE BETWEEN THE WALLS AND FLOOR.
• FORM OF THE TOWERS IS OPTIMIZED TO COMPLEMENT THE SHADING SYSTEM.

EVOLUTION
•THE DESIGN STARTED WITH TWO SIMPLE CYLINDERS, CIRCULAR, YIELDING THE MOST
EFFICIENT IN TERMS OF "AREA-TO-FLOOR WALL", CREATING MORE VOLUME WITH LESS
SURFACE.
•THEN, A CIRCULAR SHAPE IS DIVIDED BASED ON A COMBINATION OF CIRCULAR
GEOMETRIES TO REDUCE SOLAR EXPOSURE, AND IT STARTED TO GENERATE A
NATURAL ORIENTATION.
•THE SHAPE OF THE TOWERS WAS THEN SCULPTED AROUND THE CORE, NARROWER
AT THE BASE AND AT THE TOP, WIDER AROUND THE INTERMEDIATE FLOORS.

15
 ENGINEERING
• EACH UNIT COMPRISES A SERIES OF PANELS STRETCHED PTFE (POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE) AND IS DRIVEN
BY A LINEAR ACTUATOR TO PROGRESSIVELY OPEN AND CLOSE ONCE PER DAY, IN RESPONSE TO A PRE-
PROGRAMMED SEQUENCE THAT IS CALCULATED TO AVOID DIRECT SUNLIGHT TO FROM THE MOMENT IT HITS
THE FACADE .

• COMPUTER-CONTROLLED,
• OPERATES AS A CURTAIN WALL,
• READY TO TWO METERS OF THE EXTERIOR FACADE OF BUILDINGS, IN A SEPARATE FRAME.
• EACH TRIANGLE IS COATED WITH MICRO FIBERGLASS
• PROGRAMMED TO RESPOND TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUN.
• IT IS AN ANCIENT TECHNIQUE USED IN A MODERN WAY
• THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS PROTECTED BY A VARIETY OF SENSORS THAT OPEN THE UNITS IN CASE CONDITIONS
CHANGE, OR RAISE TO CLOUD WINDS.
• GEOMETRIC PATTERNS THAT MAKE UP THIS GIANT SCREEN INCLUDE MORE THAN 1,000 MOBILE ELEMENTS
THAT CONTRACT AND EXPAND DURING THE DAY, DEPENDING ON THE SUN POSITION.
16
 • A BESPOKE APPLICATION WAS DEVELOPED USING JAVASCRIPT AND ADVANCED PARAMETRIC TECHNOLOGIES
TO SIMULATE THE MOVEMENT OF THE FAÇADE IN RESPONSE TO THE SUN’S PATH.

• THE PERFORMANCE CRITERIA AND GEOMETRY BUILD-UP OF THE SYSTEM DESIGN WERE CONVEYED USING A
UNIQUE PROJECT SPECIFIC, GEOMETRY CONSTRUCTION & PERFORMANCE MANUAL.

• THIS FREED THE DESIGN-TO-CONSTRUCTION PROCESS FROM LOCKING IT DOWN TO CERTAIN PLATFORMS
AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES AND OFFERED A UNIVERSAL DATA EXCHANGE LANGUAGE, ENABLING ALL
PARTIES TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY.

PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
• ROOFS FACING SOUTH EACH TOWER INCORPORATE
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS.
DAYLIGHT ANALYSIS FOR SCREENS
• GENERATING APPROXIMATELY FIVE PERCENT OF THE IN DIVA AND GRASSHOPPER
TOTAL ENERGY REQUIRED RENEWABLE ENERGY
SOURCES, USED FOR HEATING WATER.

• THE TOWERS HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FIRST BUILDINGS

IN THE GULF THAT RECEIVED A LEED SILVER RATING.

17
 EFFICIENCY
• IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE SCREEN REDUCES SOLAR GAIN IN MORE THAN 50% AND REDUCES THE NEED FOR AIR
CONDITIONING.
• SCREENS ABILITY TO FILTER LIGHT HAS ALLOWED TO BE MORE SELECTIVE IN THE CHOICE OF GLASS.
• THIS ALLOWS US TO USE MORE NATURALLY TINTED GLASS, WHICH ALLOWS MORE LIGHT INSIDE AND LESS NEED FOR
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT.
• THE INTELLIGENT FACADE, TOGETHER WITH SOLAR THERMAL PANELS FOR HOT-WATER HEATING AND
PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS ON THE ROOF, MINIMIZE THE NEED FOR INTERNAL LIGHTING AND COOLING, ALTOGETHER
REDUCING TOTAL CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS BY OVER 1750 TONS PER YEAR.
• FOR THE PROJECT’S SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING AND SENSITIVE CULTURAL AND URBAN APPROACH, THE TOWERS
WERE AWARDED THE 2012 TALL BUILDING INNOVATION AWARD.

18
 Wind
A SERIES OF WIND-TUNNEL TESTS WERE CONDUCTED AT VARIOUS SCALES TO ANTICIPATE THE COMBINATION OF LOADS
EXERTED ON THE BUILDING GENERALLY AND ON THE MASHRABIYA LOCALLY. BOTH SMALL AND FULL-SCALE MODELS
WERE TESTED ACCORDINGLY. THE TESTS REVEALED THAT THE FLUID FORM OF THE BUILDING GENERATED RELATIVELY LOW
+VE AND -VE PRESSURES, AVERAGING 1.5 kPa UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 3.5 kPa.
A SINGLE DYNAMIC UNIT WAS LATER SUBJECTED TO VERY HIGH WIND SPEEDS UP TO 90 m/s, DEPLOYED IN DIFFERENT
OPENING POSITIONS,WHERE THE RESULTING PRESSURES DID NOT EXCEED THE MAXIMUM FIGURES APPLIED ON THE
BUILDING AS A WHOLE – DUE TO THE FLUID AERODYNAMIC GEOMETRY OF THE BUILDING FORM AND DYNAMIC
MASHRABIYA SYSTEM.

19
 CLIMATIC RESPONSE

Shading studies were used to explore the impact on energy performance of different Mashrabiya configurations.
This figure illustrates the facade opening and resulting improvement in energy performance during mid-season at
9:00 am.

Energy models evaluated the towers’ solar gains without external shading screens (Fig. 34). Theoretically, a shading
screen should completely wrap the tower as direct solar rays hit the curtain-wall from all directions, especially during
summer. The north face experiences direct solar rays only for a short time in the morning and later in the afternoon,
i.e. before and after working hours. Shading units in the North zone was therefore unnecessary.

20
 MATERIAL
EACH OF THE DRIVERS PLAYED A ROLE IN THE CHOICE OF MATERIALS FOR THE BUILDING ENVELOPE.
• 1.4462 DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL: ALL MAIN-FIXED SUPPORTING COMPONENTS LIKE CANTILEVER ARMS,
YSTRUCTURE
ARMS, AND BRACKETS CONNECTING THE SYSTEM BACK TO THE MAIN STRUCTURE ARE MADE OF
DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL, DUE TO ITS HIGH STRENGTH AND CORROSION RESISTANCE. ALL EXPOSED/VISIBLE
COMPONENTS
HAVE SHOT-PEEN FINISH, SIMILAR TO SAND BLASTING. THIS CAMOUFLAGES DUST AND SAND PARTICLES
THAT SETTLE ON THE STEEL SURFACE.
• PVDF COATED ALUMINIUM: ALL CURTAIN-WALL AND FABRIC MESH FRAMES ARE MADE OF EXTRUDED
ALUMINIUM
PROFILES. THESE ACHIEVE A FINER LEVEL OF DETAIL THAN POSSIBLE WITH STEEL. IT IS ROBUST, LIGHTWEIGHT,
AND CORROSION RESISTANT, AND ELEGANT LOOKING WHEN FINISHED, IN THIS CASE IN A CHAMPAGNE
COLOUR,
AS IT RESEMBLES THE BEIGE COLOUR OF LOCAL SAND.
• GLASS: CURTAIN-WALL VISION GLASS IS MADE OF DGU OF 40% VISIBLE LIGHT TRANSMISSION, 0.28 G-VALUE
AND 18% EXTERNAL LIGHT REFLECTANCE.
• TEFLON: ALL BEARINGS AND JOINTS SEPARATORS ARE MADE OF MARINE-GRADED TEFLON COMPONENTS.
• SILICON: ALL SEALANTS/GASKETS ARE MADE OF BLACK SILICON – ESPECIALLY HIGHLY RESISTANT TO UV RAYS
AND
OTHER WEATHERING FACTORS.
NOTE: THE SOLAR GAIN AND ENERGY STUDIES WERE INTENTIONALLY LEFT UNINFLUENCED BY THE
MASHRABIYA.
THE GEOMETRIC DEFINITION AND OPENING CONFIGURATIONS WERE THEN OPTIMIZED TO IMPROVE LIGHTING
AND
VISIBILITY.
21
 SHADING PRINCIPLES
AS GENERAL RULE OF THUMB, A SHADING ELEMENT IS MOST EFFICIENT WHEN IT FACES SOLAR RAYS DIRECTLY I.E.
ORTHOGONALLY.
• A SHADING ELEMENT MUST CAST SHADOW OF ALL ITS EDGES ONTO THE ADJACENT SHADING ELEMENT TO AVOID DIRECT
SOLAR RAYS LANDING ON THE VISION GLASS BEHIND IT.
• ON ONE HAND, HOWEVER, THE MOVING SUNLIGHT RESULTS IN SOLAR RAYS LANDING ON THE CURTAIN-WALL AT INFINITE
ANGLES.
• ON THE OTHER HAND, NOT ALL DIRECT SOLAR RAYS TRAVELLING INSIDE THE BUILDING AFFECT THE OVERALL
PERFORMANCE OF THE ENVELOPE AS LONG AS THEY ARE LIMITED TO A BUFFER ZONE AROUND THE PERIMETER OF EACH
FLOOR-PLATE WITHOUT LANDING ON THE WORKING DESK LEVEL AND IN THE EYES OF OCCUPANTS (FIG. 29). BOTH
EXPERIENCE AND EARLY SHADING STUDIES USING VARIOUS OPENING CONFIGURATIONS OF THE MASHRABIYA SCREEN
RESULTED IN DEVELOPING THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES TO CONTROL

THE SHADING ELEMENTS PERFORMANCE:-

• THE CONFIGURATION OF THE SHADING IS BASED ON OPTIMIZED CATEGORISATION OF SOLAR RAYS.
• GENERAL SOLAR RAYS LANDING AT ANGLES BETWEEN 0 AND 79 DEGREES ONTO THE CURTAIN-WALL SURFACE
REQUIRING FULL FRONT-COVER OF THE CURTAIN-WALL .THIS IS ACHIEVED BY AN UN-FOLDED CONFIGURATION.
• INTERMEDIATE SOLAR RAYS LANDING AT ANGLES BETWEEN 80 AND 83 DEGREES ONTO THE CURTAIN-WALL SURFACE
REQUIRING PARTIAL FRONT-COVER OF THE CURTAIN-WALL ALLOWING PARTIAL UNOBSTRUCTED VIEWS – THIS IS
ACHIEVED BY A MIX-FOLDED CONFIGURATION.
•HIGH SOLAR RAYS LANDING AT ANGLES HIGHER THAN 83 DEGREES ONTO THE CURTAIN-WALL SURFACE REQUIRING
NO FRONT-COVER OF THE CURTAIN-WALL ALLOWING MAXIMUM UNOBSTRUCTED VIEWS – THIS IS ACHIEVED BY A
FULLY-FOLDED CONFIGURATION.

22
THE AL-BAHR TOWERS CURTAIN-WALL AND HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE WERE DEFINED BY THE LINKING OF NODES
GENERATED FROM THE INTERSECTION OF TANGENTIAL CIRCLES AND THE EXTRUSION OF THE UNDERLYING RADIAL GRID.
23
THIS DIAGRAM SHOWS THE 800 MM-CURTAIN-WALL/FLOOR-PLATE PERIMETER BUFFER ZONE WHERE DIRECT SOLAR
RAYS ARE ALLOWED TO LAND INSIDE THE BUILDING. SUCH CONDITION ONLY OCCURS DURING LIMITED HOURS OF THE
DAY DURING THE SUMMER WHERE SOLAR RAYS LAND ON THE CURTAIN-WALL SURFACE AT AN ANGLE HIGHER THAN 83
DEGREES. SOLAR RAYS THAT TRAVEL DEEPER THAN THE IDENTIFIED BUFFER-ZONE WILL BE BLOCKED BY THE DYNAMIC
MASHRABIYA SOLAR SCREEN SYSTEM BY DEPLOYING MASHRABIYA UNITS IN A SUITABLE OPTIMIZED OPENING
CONFIGURATION.

24
 SOLAR POWERED BUILDING WITH DYNAMIC
SHADING SYSTEM
PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS
• GLASS SKYSCRAPERS HAVE BECOME THE TRADEMARK • GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION:
IN THE GULF. HOWEVER, BUILDINGS IN THE GULF
• DOWN TOWN DUBAI IS THE LOCATION OF TIRH.
SUFFER FROM THE FOLLOWING ISSUES:
• HEAT AND GLARE FROM THE SUN CAN WARM UP THE • THE FAÇADE WILL BE FREE FROM OBSTACLES
EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDINGS TO UP TO 50ºC (CNN, THAT WILL BLOCK THE SUN.
2012) • SOLAR PANELS WILL HAVE MAXIMUM
• THE CONSTANT INCREASE IN PRICE OF ELECTRICITY EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT.
TARIFFS.
• THE INTERNATIONAL ROYAL HOTEL (TIRH), WILL • STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND
EMPLOY A DYNAMIC SHADING SYSTEM; SIMILAR TO CONSTRUCTION OF MATERIAL:
THE ONE USED IN AL-BAHAR TOWERS IN ABU DHABI.
HOWEVER, WE WILL MODIFY AL-BAHAR TOWERS TO
• 145 METERS HIGH.
ACHIEVE HIGHER POWER EFFICIENCY USING SOLAR • 40 EXTERIOR COLUMNS.
PANELS. • CYLINDRICAL (REFER TO FIGURE 1)
• REINFORCED CONCRETE.

25
 BENEFITS OF THE DYNAMIC FACADE SYSTEM

QUANTITATIVE BENEFITS
THE FOLLOWING ARE MEASURABLE BENEFITS OF THE INNOVATIVE FACADE SYSTEM.
• 50% ENERGY SAVINGS FOR OFFICE SPACES ALONE, AND UP TO 20% FOR THE BUILDING OVERALL
• 20% REDUCTION IN CARBON EMISSION WITH UP TO 50% FOR OFFICE SPACES USE ALONE
• 15% REDUCTION IN OVERALL PLANT SIZE AND CAPITAL COST
• 20% REDUCTION IN MATERIALS AND OVERALL WEIGHT DUE TO THE HIGHLY FLUID, RATIONAL AND OPTIMIZED
DESIGN
QUALITATIVE BENEFITS
THE FOLLOWING ARE NON-MEASURABLE BENEFITS OF THE INNOVATIVE FACADE SYSTEM:
• IMPROVEMENT OF USER-COMFORT AND IMPROVED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF OCCUPANTS
204 A. KARANOUH AND E. KERBER / INNOVATIONS IN DYNAMIC ARCHITECTURE
• THE OVERALL ICONIC IDENTITY OF THE BUILDING
• BETTER NATURALLY LIT SPACES THROUGH BETTER ADMISSION OF NATURAL DIFFUSED LIGHT (FIG. 22)
• BETTER VISIBILITY OF EXTERNAL NATURAL VIEWS, LESS USE OF OBSTRUCTIVE AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY TRAPPING
BLINDS (FIG. 23)
• IMPROVED COMFORT BY REDUCING HEAVY AIR CONDITIONING LOADS AND AIR DRAFT
• PROVIDE THE BUILDING WITH A UNIQUE IDENTITY, ROOTED TO LOCAL HERITAGE AND ENVIRONMENT
• PROVIDE A UNIQUE AND ENTERTAINING FEATURE BOTH TO OCCUPANTS AND PASSING-BY PUBLIC.

26
JOINERY DETAIL

27