28 · MONEY
ARCHITEC TURE
ISSUE 61
Eco-sustainability is the keyword for this significant project by AP Valletta. MONEY interviews executive director Konrad Buhagiar and design director Charles Sciberras on GO’s new technical centre in Bulebel. M In a bid to compensate for the lack of greenery in urbanised localities, how important is it these days to have projects which include urban greening in designs? KB Inexplicably, while urban areas at street level, with their traffic, fumes, friction and consequent hubbub, are exorbitantly expensive, the same space at higher levels, such as balconies, terraces or even the vertical face of building facades, open as they are to the sun, fresh breezes and fantastic views, remains underutilised. We are all too familiar with the view of vacant rooftops that have become the repository of dilapidated water tanks, rusty air-conditioning units and random accumulation of trash. So, if the urbanised landscape of Malta lacks green spaces, the individual private buildings themselves can compensate for this by including rooftop and facade designs incorporating planted and shaded areas. These can facilitate ambient air temperatures by as much as 15 degrees in the heat of summertime and significantly reduce the
winter chill factor while adding to the visual richness of urban landscape as well. At AP Valletta, we are very aware of the hidden potential of these building elements from a climatic and visual point of view. M Sustainability has become an undeniable aspect of businesses these days. How will the Go Technical Centre finished project be eco-sustainable? CS Eco sustainability has been the main driving force behind AP Valletta’s design philosophy for the new GO Technical Centre at the Industrial Estate of Bulebel in Żejtun. The complex comprises five main blocks, including two office blocks, a purpose-built data centre and a warehouse building. A brise-soleil consisting of Building Integrated Photovoltaic panels shields the south-facing facades of the office buildings from direct solar heat gains. Solar analysis software was used to map the solar energy that falls on the buildings parametrically. This led to the creation of a pixelated pattern with the BIPV
panels shading those areas with the largest solar gains. Voids in between the panels allow light to enter the office floors in strategic locations creating a delicate balance between the provision of adequate natural light, the reduction of glare and the enjoyment of the surrounding views by the users of the building. All the external envelopes of the buildings are adequately insulated to offer thermal comfort to the buildings’ occupants. The proposed data centre, the largest of its kind on the island, has been designed to reduce heat gains and losses through its skin. The gateway building provides the heart of the project, a low-lying building almost wholly covered with a vertical garden system spilling over into the central court at the core of the development. The green walls
