The air 'buffer zone' between the buildings increases the thermal insulation, reducing energy consumption
Image courtesy of Zhou Ruogu Architecture Photography
PROJECT DATA
Project Name
Parkview Green FangCaoDi
Location
Beijing, China
Status
Construction (Fitting-out)
Expected Completion
2012
Site Area
15,000 m2
Gross Floor Area
200,000 m2
Number of Rooms
120
Building Height
87 metres
Client/Owner
Beijing Chyau Fwu Properties Co.,Ltd; The Hong Kong Parkview Group
Architecture Firm
Integrated Design Associates
Principal Architect
Winston Shu
Main Contractor
China Jiangsu International Economic Technical Cooperation
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer
Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd
Civil & Structural Engineer
Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd
Images/Photos
Zhou Ruogu Architecture Photography; Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd; Integrated Design Associates Architects & Designers
|
|
FuturArc Showcase COCOONED COMFORT
Twentieth century inventor and visionary Buckminster Fuller, well known for coming up with the concept of geodesic domes, envisioned a broad, space-spanning envelope that encompassed a city to save energy and to protect its occupants against pollution. First unveiled at the Milan Triennale in 1954, it was a utopian idea then. Today, after more than 40 intervening years and advancement in technology, Parkview Green FangCaoDi pays homage to that vision and reinterprets it with the aim of setting a new benchmark for Green buildings in China.
Located in the heart of Beijing's CBD, Parkview Green is a LEED-CS Platinum pre-certified mixed-use plaza which comprises 50,000 square metres of retail spaces, 82,000 square metres of grade A offices and a 6-star boutique hotel of 120 rooms encased in a glazed 'environmental envelope'. The prime objective was to create a technologically advanced building that engages in providing energy-efficient solutions not only to the developer, but also to the occupiers and visitors of the building. This included creating energy conservation awareness for those who interact with the development.
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT
The project's unusual pyramidal shape or inclined form arose out of a respect for the "right to light" principle and not depriving its neighbours of natural daylighting. This has become the most distinctive feature of Parkview Green and the driving force behind its environmentally sustainable design. The architectural concept was simple:
• To harvest the passive energy created by the pyramidal shape to provide thermal comfort for people and significant energy savings for the building; and
• To create a place that is a joy to use within a single entity and a landmark both dramatic in form and human in scale.
As a result, a cocooned, city-within-city concept for the 200,000-square metre development was born in response to the call for better indoor environment.
MICROCLIMATIC ENVELOPE
The outer envelope—which is made up of an air-filled Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) cushion roof and glazed walls set a constant 3 metres away from the inner buildings—shields the entire development from the external environment. The double glass skin creates an air chamber that stores thermal energy and reduces the building's overall energy footprint. It also forms a natural ventilation system that circulates fresh air between the ceilings and floors, allowing the building to 'breathe' easily and naturally.
The architectural form lends itself to natural air movement by heat stack effect. Fresh air is drawn in at the base of the building and cooled or heated as required before being fed into the internal areas at floor level. The atrium's volume is such that the warm stale air rises naturally to the development's apex where it is expelled via computer-controlled vents.
To read the complete article, get a copy of the 1Q 2012 edition at our online shop or at newsstands/major bookstores; or subscribe to FuturArc.
Table of Contents |
