IGS Asia-Pacific Special Issue | Autumn 2020 by IGS Magazine

Intelligent Glass Solutions

H O N G KO N G

CHINA

RUSSIA

SINGAPORE

VIE TNAM

M A L AY S I A

KUALA LUMPUR

A DECADE OF DESIGN Celebrating 10 years of 10 Design BIG AT ALL SCALES Hybridized sustainable infrastructure for inclusive cities

Autumn 2020

A MUSE BY THE SEA Faรงade of K11 MUSEA makes waves in the industry Autumn 2020 www.igsmag.com

GLASS DYNASTY

An IPL magazine

Asia Pacific Special Edition Sammy Hui has...The Glass Word

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Intelligent Glass Solutions (IGS)

Asia-Pacific Special Issue Autumn 2020 A heartfelt thank you to ALL our wonderful contributors in this special edition Image by Chao Zhang. Brian Yang, Partner at BIG gives readers a glimpse into the future of sustainable infrastructure on page 20 intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

Ross Milne

CEO at 10 Design During the development process of the design, we explore new urban typologies, ecological strategies and sustainable solutions. Most importantly we aim to develop human-centred and culturally responsive solutions that support the local economy, foster social inclusion in cities, and build communities. PAGE 8

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

Brian Yang

Partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) The old model of constructing purposebuilt infrastructure on cities that’s not civic or accessible will only become more glaring in its lack of response to the needs of urban populations—and especially as a consequence of the global Covid-19 Pandemic. Hybridizing infrastructure with social functions offers a holistic approach to sustainable cities that not only accounts for economic and ecological needs, but cultural and social ones too. PAGE 20

Hugh Brennand

Executive Director & Founding Partner of Inhabit One of the major challenges facing the design team was the differential movement between the new structure and the existing marine deck which was subject to varying movements due to tidal changes and the large cruise ships berthing alongside it. The ground floor façade had the challenge of spanning between the two structures and had to overcome the differential movements. PAGE 32

EeTiong Lim

Studio Director at Gensler It was our ambition at the onset of the projects to deliver unique design solutions that not only fulfills the clients’ requirements but also engages the urban fabric, contribute to the community, truly sustainable and future proofed buildings. These design strategies serve well in adapting and aligning to the new post pandemic needs of the office space and its relationship to the environment. PAGE 70

Andreas Beccard

CCO & Business Development UK, Priedemann Facade Experts CU29, the chemical symbol and atomic number of copper, or to be more precise the crystalline structure of the same, was the inspiration behind this façade designed by Foster + Partners. When approached by their design team in Summer 2014, Priedemann Facade Experts knew that there is a challenge of their calibre awaiting. PAGE 64

Anthony Wood

Executive Director, CTBUH Superlatives add drama to the story, but the real essence lies in examining the qualitative aspects of skybridge projects of all scales. The CTBUH research team studied 15 skybridges in detail, and came to some interesting observations. PAGE 94

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CONTENTS I G S A S I A PA C I F I C S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 I S S U E INTRODUCTION 6 ARCHITECTURE: A SIGN OF THE TIMES Lewis Wilson – Marketing Director and Editor for IGS Magazine Lewis provides insights into current architectural trends that have emerged in an era defined by unprecedented technological innovation, rising populations, urbanization and a heightened sense of urgency surrounding climate change which has driven a new age of sustainable building design.

38 THE SUSTAINABLE OFFICE TOWER: THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS CO2 NEUTRAL HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS Thomas Fritzsche – Founder, Thomas Fritzsche Architects and Robert Himmler - Managing Director, EGS-plan (Bangkok) Thomas and Robert propose a new holistic typology for office high-rise buildings that combines sustainable building principles with the latest trends in workplace design. The office of the future responds to the environmental, economic and sociofunctional challenges of today and tomorrow

EX ECU T I V E BOA R DROOM C O M M E N TA RY F R O M A S I A PA C I F I C

T R A N S PA R E N T ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES I N A S I A PA C I F I C

8 A DECADE OF DESIGN Ross Milne - CEO, 10 Design Celebrating 10 years of the architectural practice, Ross takes us on their journey through a selection of world-class projects that helped shape the success of one of the most acclaimed architecture firms in the world. Uncover the principles on which some of the worlds most iconic projects are built.

48 RAFFLES CITY CHONGQING: THE WORLD’S HIGHEST HORIZONTAL SKYSCRAPER Safdie Architects You have to see it to believe it - featuring a 300-metrelong horizontal skybridge called “Crystal”, the latest mega development designed by Moshe Safdie includes 3,000 glass panels and a glass-bottom, open-air viewing deck with striking panoramic views of the city.

20 BIG AT ALL SCALES: SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES Brian Yang - Partner, Bjarke Ingels Group Outdated infrastructure is glaringly inept in catering to the needs of urbanized populations says Brian. Hybridizing infrastructure with social spaces and custom-tailored technologies offers a holistic approach to sustainable cities that not only accounts for economic and ecological needs, but cultural and social ones too. 32 GLASS AND STEEL GATEWAY GETS ITS SEA LEGS Hugh Brennand - Executive Director & Founding Partner, Inhabit When land meets sea, there are unique and complex challenges. Discover how Inhabit overcame these in Hong Kong in this case study on the façade design of the Ocean Terminal in Kowloon – motion sickness tablets were not an option

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54 GLASS RE-IMAGINED: SCULPTING THE TUBULAR FAÇADE OF K11 MUSEA A collaboration between Eckersley O’Callaghan, SO-IL Architects, seele and K11 MUSEA ‘A Muse by the Sea’ - Cutting-edge design fused with arts and culture, creates an immersive experience to inspire the next generation. Unearth the story behind the projects sculptural, frameless glass façade – a play on transparency, reflection and light. 64 A HYBRID FAÇADE INSPIRED BY NATURE Andreas Beccard CCO & Business Development UK, Priedemann Facade Experts The copper crystalline façade of the RMK headquarters, designed by Foster + Partners deals with giant elements and the extreme climate of Russia. Governed by a spirit of learning, collaboration and adaptability, discover the inside-story from the perspective of the project’s façade engineers.

CONTENTS I G S A S I A PA C I F I C S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 I S S U E 70 FUTURE OFFICES: NATURE, COMMUNITY, RESILIENCE EeTiong Lim – Studio Director, Gensler Singapore Future offices need to be resilient and flexible, adapting to changing technological, cultural, environmental and biological challenges. In this exclusive article for IGS, Eetiong gives readers a glimpse into two Gensler projects in Singapore and Vietnam that have embraced these ideals.

I G S I N TA L K S W I T H JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG AND SOO K. CHAN 78 DOUBLE VISON: CULTURE, CONTEXT AND CLIMATE Prof. Soo K. Chan – Founding Principal and Design Director, SCDA Architects and Prof. Jimmy Cheok Siang – Founder, JIMMY LIM DESIGN IGS Magazine’s Lewis Wilson travels to Singapore and Malaysia in these candid interviews with two of Asia’s most acclaimed architects. We find out the idiosyncrasies of their practices and delve into national architectural identity while traversing ideas of sustainability, technology and of course…glass!

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND T RENDS GA INING T RACT ION 94 THE STATE OF THE ART AND POTENTIAL FUTURES OF SKYBRIDGES Anthony Wood – Executive Director, CTBUH As the world rapidly urbanizes, greater thought needs to be expended on how horizontal space can be developed at height. Anthony explores the role of skybridges and their huge jump in relevance and scale as necessity drives us to the skies and beyond.

Intelligent Glass Solutions

H O N G KO N G

CHINA

RUSSIA

SINGAPORE

VIE TNAM

M A L AY S I A

KUALA LUMPUR

A DECADE OF DESIGN Celebrating 10 years of 10 Design BIG AT ALL SCALES Hybridized sustainable infrastructure for inclusive cities

Autumn 2020

A MUSE BY THE SEA Façade of K11 MUSEA makes waves in the industry Autumn 2020 www.igsmag.com

GLASS DYNASTY An IPL magazine

Asia Pacific Special Edition Sammy Hui has...The Glass Word

Image: K11 MUSEA Photographer: Jeff Tung, courtesy of New World Development Company Limited Intelligent Glass Solutions is Published by Intelligent Publications Limited (IPL) ISSN: 1742-2396 Publisher: Nick Beaumont Accounts: Jamie Quy

104 COVID AND THE COMMERCIAL WORKPLACE: NOW, NEXT AND FUTURE Kevin Hydes – Chair + Founder and David Barker, Principal at Integral Group Decisions made in years gone by are determining whether office buildings can react easily, rapidly, and cost-effectively to COVID today, adapt to the new normal and be reimagined for the future. As this article details, the implications for the integration between building skin and systems are profound. 110 THESE LIGHTWEIGHTS REALLY PACK A PUNCH Matthew Penrose – Executive Vice President at Vector Foiltec From The Shed at Hudson Yards to Singapore National Stadium, ETFE cladding has a proven its ability to marry aesthetics and function. Vector Foiltec give readers a glimpse into the world of this pioneering technology through a series of engaging case studies. 116 SEEN ELEMENTS - SWISS QUALITY FOR ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS CONTAINING GLASS Rouven Seidler – General Manager, SEEN From bird protective glass to integration with photovoltaics, Rouven entrusts IGS readers with exclusive insights into the technical innovation of SEEN Elements.

THE GLASS WORD 123 A BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE: TRANSFERABLE TRENDS IN GLASS AND FAÇADE ENGINEERING IN ASIA Sammy Hui – Vice President, Hong Kong Facade Association and Senior Business Development Leader, DOW With 2020 vision, Sammy imparts a lifetime of knowledge onto the pages of IGS Magazine. Anticipating profound prospects for glass and façade engineering, he glances at the past, present and future of our evolving industry.

Editor: Sean Peters Production Manager: Kath James Director of International Business Network Development: Roland Philip Manager of International Business Network Development: Maria Jasiewicz Marketing Director: Lewis Wilson Page Design Advisor: Arima Regis

Design and Layout in the UK: Simon Smith Intelligent Glass Solutions is a quarterly publication. The annual subscription rates are £79 (UK) , £89 (Ireland & Mainland Europe), & £99 (Rest of the World) Email: nick@intelligentpublications.com

Published by: Intelligent Publications Limited, 3rd Floor, Omnibus House, 39-41 North Road, London N7 9DP, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 7703 487744 Email: nick@intelligentpublications.com www.igsmag.com

The entire content of this publication is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. None of the content in this publication can be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, without permission, in writing, from the copyright owner. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, however the publisher does not accept any liability for ommissions or inaccuracies. Authors’ views are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher.

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PUBLISHER’S WORD

Architecture A sign of the he very fabric of our modern world is built upon ideas – a thought, turned into a sketch, into a design, into a rendering - brought to life by architects, engineers, façade designers, manufacturers and contractors that weave together to create the very buildings we inhabit. However, thoughts seldom materialize on their own; there are certain drivers, specific to a time, that influence the ‘global precepts of architecture’ and embed themselves into the minds of those enigmatic people that are redefining skylines across the globe. The socio-economic context of architecture is in constant flux – from the Industrial Revolution that propelled Neoclassical Architecture to Modernism spurred on by wartime innovation and postwar reconstruction – architecture is, and will always be, a reflection of our society. So begs the question, what are the key trends and driving factors today? “You only have to cast your eyes on buildings to feel the presence of the past, the spirit of a place; they are the reflection of society.” - I. M. Pei. A heightened sense of urgency surrounding climate change is driving a new epoch of sustainable building design. The industry, with one of the largest carbon footprints in the world, has proclaimed its steadfast resolution to a sustainable future, exemplified by a number of key trends that are influencing architecture

of today: adaptive reuse, biophilic design, vertical gardens, circular economy, zero-to-net carbon and passive building design are no longer vague concepts, they are ingrained into current architectural vernacular, with practical examples built and functioning around the globe. Adaptive and resilient are now critical considerations in the design phase of a project, particularly in light of increasing natural disasters and a global pandemic that has affected every facet of our existence. Rising populations in the finite space we call earth has necessitated a shift towards vertical, multifunctional and connected design. Multiuse buildings which are adaptable and modular are gaining prevalence, and we are seeing increasingly creative ways of using the space available. Not only do we see enlightened ideas about dense, socially diverse, democratically engaged cities, but also the way we inhabit buildings and move through space. From multi-functional ‘skybridges’ to horizontal skyscrapers this transition to the skies has only just begun. Technology has already become a necessity to the application of knowledge across all industries, and architecture is no exception. With the rise of The Internet of Things (IoT) to BIM, virtual reality, robotics, parametric design, automation, advanced HVAC systems, smart cities and 3D printing, architects and engineers are mastering data and utilizing innovative

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PUBLISHER’S WORD

e he times technologies to construct ever more complex, connected and efficient buildings. Finely-tuned technological systems have merged with human ingenuity and creativity allowing us to rethink the way in which we develop, apply and operate our designs. Through technological advancements, there is a wealth of opportunity to modernize our cities and industry. This modernization must be sustainable and innovative, rising to the challenges posed by climate change and the integration of technology to create something fitting and lasting for generations to come. “Architecture is an expression of values— the way we build is a reflection of the way we live. This is why vernacular tradition and the historical layers of a city are so fascinating, as every era produces its own vocabulary.” - Sir Norman Foster The built environment can facilitate or impede an individual’s ability to not only participate, but thrive, in society. Design that responds to the economic, ecological, cultural and social needs of end-users is fundamental to inclusive architecture. The imperative for this people-centric approach that also improves human health and psychological wellbeing has established itself as pre-requisite in current design thinking. From the office, to home, infrastructure and public spaces – we see a shift towards catering to human needs, above all else.

Today we view the concrete tower blocks of the 20th century as striking remnants of city’s past, very much a product of their own era, reflecting a time when public priorities were quite different to those of today. In 50 years, the buildings we currently view as modern will, again, reflect an era when attitudes and concerns were different to those of the contemporary times. All of the above sounds a bit vague, like the inspirational but vaporous language one hears at professional symposiums and TED Talks. We need architecture that is sustainable, flexible, adaptive, responsive and local, but without being parochial. But we also need architecture that is cosmopolitan and smart, engaged and connected. It seems we want an architecture that does everything. But what does that look like in real life? In the pages of this magazine, you will bear witness to exemplary projects, technologies and thought-leadership that have put this rhetoric into practice. Our eternal gratitude goes to those who sacrificed much of their valuable time spending hours preparing articles exclusively for all the beautiful men and women who read IGS - Thank you!

Lewis Wilson Marketing Director and Editor for IGS Magazine

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

COLLABORATION, INNOVATION, VISION

Industrial Service Centre, Zhuhai, China Photography: Zhang Chao

We believe in the importance of providing a universal quality to each design with a unique and flexible aesthetic, a formula that we consider to be fundamental.

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

A DECADE OF DESIGN Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of 10 Design Ross Milne, CEO, 10 Design

his year we are celebrating 10 years of 10 Design. The practice has now been a decade in the making, and we are in a position where we can navigate the international architecture and design industry with finely-tuned expertise developed from a multitude of high-profile projects. Our scope of work spans international experience across diverse sectors, and we remain a company which is driven by the unique individual characters that make up our diverse workforce. We work across China and south east Asia as well as the US, Middle East and Europe. Our practice is design-led, with influences gathered from across the globe, which allows us to have a collaborative, innovative and visionary design approach and offer each client something unique. We take a fluid approach to the design process. This allows us to be involved with inspired and creative design as well as commercially driven projects. We believe in the importance of providing a universal quality to each design with a unique and flexible aesthetic, a formula that we consider to be fundamental.

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

At 10 Design, we create visions. In Wuhan, China we designed and delivered the exemplar development Greatwall Complex, which provides a world-class office, retail and an attractive public realm. The project offers a striking addition to the streetscape. The design defines a new civic space in front of the building, connected through a series of processional ramp to a new roof top garden on the podium. The processional ramp allowed all levels of retail to open up at a new raised ground level, thereby presenting a unique pedestrian experience in Wuhan, benefitting from dining opportunities and public art. Greatwall Complex was also recognised for its sustainable credentials and achieved LEED Platinum Certification for Building Design & Construction: Core & Shell. It was important for the design concept of this project to reflect a dynamic and iconic working environment which attracts high end tenants. We achieved this with an emotive design which complements its surroundings in the designated financial core of Wuhan. Another example of our visionary approach to design is our proposal for the new Terminal 4 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia. Our designs for the project include undulating roof forms and lush tropical gardens, representing a modern landmark with echoes to the traditions of Indonesiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architecture.

Greatwall Complex, Wuhan, China Photography: 10 Design

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Greatwall Complex, Wuhan, China Photography: 10 Design

EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

New Town Quarter, Edinburgh, UK

A critical part of the masterplanning process is the provision of public space and the contribution to the urban realm. There are of course regulations that determine the percentage of free areas that a scheme should consider and these are often crucial for the planning process. Parks, terraces, urban plazas, pedestrian and cycle routes are elements which can be moved around strategically to organise the different components of a scheme. Providing high quality public amenities can have significant benefits to a high-rise scheme, since they balance out denser areas, especially in compact cities. Additionally, these areas improve the permeability of the site, contribute to the conservation of local environments, and have significant impacts to the wellbeing of end users.

Our approach has always been centred around contextual design where each design stage is underpinned by on-site research in order to identify the geographical, cultural and societal conditions that the project should respond to. During the development process of the design, we explore new urban typologies, ecological strategies and sustainable solutions. Most importantly we aim to develop human-centred and culturally responsive solutions that support the local economy, foster social inclusion in cities, and build communities.

Residential-led mixed-use projects often provide different types of housing schemes as well as additional facilities such as educational, leisure, retail and hospitality. Our proposal for New Town Quarter, a development that will create a new urban centre in the heart of Edinburgh, considers office, hotel, wellbeing and residential components. The development uses a series of landscape and amenity terraces to maintain vistas while creating new pedestrian and cycle routes, greatly improving permeability in this part of the city. A new public plaza accommodating retail and dining, where community events can take place, will provide a new car free pedestrian connection between the surrounding urban context and King George V Park.

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Industrial Service Centre, Zhuhai, China Photography: Zhang Chao

10 Design is a practice which innovates, and we have developed our commitment to promoting more sustainable and ecological ways of living. Working across dense modern cities requires us to consider many factors when thinking about urban strategies. In many cases, combining the priorities of a vibrant city while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction has proved challenging. Over 10 years we have tracked this and found solutions in order for us to lead on sustainable design.

Industrial Service Centre, Zhuhai, China Photography: Zhang Chao

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

We provide sustainable solutions, having recently developed a series of design approaches that address environmental features and also stimulate economic growth and social inclusion in market-driven cities. For example, one of our projects, the Vertical Farm Centre, in my home city of Hong Kong, explores a new urban typology and a unique model of ecology within a mixed-use complex: retail, commercial space and hospitality. The proposal centres around a high-rise tower that provides agricultural services as well as cultural and commercial spaces enclosed by a hydroponic greenhouse and an aeroponic atrium. Agricultural production will provide benefits such as an educational tourist attraction, profitable crops, and encourage better health and wellbeing for the city. The project proposes an ecosystem cycle in which all waste is repurposed. It creates a positive loop cycle for the city whereby the energy and water systems turn waste to power and purify water. With global food supply chains affected by

climate change and conflict, city farms become a ubiquitous part of urban life, appearing on roof tops, building surfaces and inside purposebuilt climate-controlled environments. Our approach has always been centred around what is known as contextual design where our design process is underpinned by on-site research in order to identify the geographical, cultural, societal conditions that the project should respond to. During the development process of the design, we explore new urban typologies, ecological strategies and sustainable solutions. Most importantly we aim to develop human-centred and culturally responsive solutions that support the local economy, foster social inclusion in cities, and build communities. For example, the Industrial Service Centre we designed for Huafa Group in Jinwan Aviation City in Zhuhai, China was designed to create a workspace for burgeoning start-up companies and entrepreneurs to collaborate, establishing an incubation platform.

A Proposal to Redefine Hong Kong Harbourfront & The Vertical Farm Centre

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Our work has an impact on connecting cities and people. Baozixi Park in Wuhan, China, for our client COFCO, connects pedestrians to the adjacent area of Joy City retail mall. The design features an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ecology lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - a public promenade that subtly connects a string of five lightweight, elegant pavilions to one another with a series of substantial civic social spaces. The area has been designed to foster interaction and collaboration amongst people arriving from the nearby metro station arrival.

Baozixi Park, Wuhan, China

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The design unifies two distinct habitat: the urban high-rise and the human scale parkland. This results in a built environment that offers the best of the surrounding context as a sustainable, green, natural and human scaled place with the accessibility, activity, and flexible public realm that dynamic urban spaces should provide.

EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Yonghyeon-Hagik District, Incheon, Korea In collaboration with NOW Architects

Zhuhai International Exhibition & Convention Centre - Phase 2, Zhuhai, China

10 Design has significant experience in delivering large scale projects, including urban regeneration and masterplanning. We led on the design for the 15 million sq ft development in Incheonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s YonghyeonHagik District in Korea, a mixed-use masterplan consisting of residential, cultural, retail, and office provision, complemented by a large garden loop which unifies the entire masterplan with a park network. Our brief

was to mitigate and reduce the impact of a large, elevated freeway that divides the site into two halves. A series of cultural facilities weave in and out of a new park located under the freeway. Utilizing contour shading concepts, the underside of the freeway is painted in a bold artistic pattern that further blurs the edges of the freeway.

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Narra Residences Empire City, HCMC, Vietnam

At 10 Design we fundamentally understand what it means to create spaces which encourage and offer a positive experience of space. We design new experiential space and create destination landmarks with cultural, leisure and luxury facilities and we intuitively recognise how to produce aesthetically pleasing buildings with a sense of place. A great example of this is our project in Sungang, Shenzhen for China Resources’ MixC Market Hall. Currently under construction in a former industrial zone, this retail-gastronomy and leisure destination will provide an immersive shopping and gastronomic experience under one roof. The project is entered under a stainless steel sculptural canopy leading to a pedestrianised retail street, offering a sense of place to draw people in. Our ability to ignite experience spans a cross-section of asset classes, as well as retail spaces we have designed, we have also implemented the scope for experience in a number of residential projects. The 278 unit Narra Residences in Vietnam will be amongst the most prestigious addresses within the new Empire City in Thu Thiem New Urban Area (District 2) of Ho Chi Minh City. The development consists of two towers connected by a striking skybridge on the 20th floor, this feature creates a strong visual axis and the opportunity to create resort amenities on the skybridge deck. We also introduced the ‘Neighbourhoods in the Sky’ concept by implementing a series of stacked apartment clusters which are expressed architecturally as part of this scheme. The vertical neighbourhoods create a sense of experience and community for residents.

China Resources’ Sungang MixC Market Hall, Shenzhen, China

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport Mixed Use Development, Nanjing, China

The redevelopment of Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport, China (design in progress)

We consider ourselves to be adaptive in our design approach. This is evident in our work redeveloping the Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport, an old military airport in Nanjing, China. The initial scheme, for client China Fortune, was to design a contemporary mixed-use destination involving three interconnecting buildings linked by a sunken street, incorporating office, retail, and cultural spaces. The project is an important commercial asset for the city and will provide workers, shoppers and residents

with a new cosmopolitan landmark, and in parallel, it responds to the cultural richness of its landscape. With two underground railway stations embedded into the site, connectivity is one of the key design drivers, and so we had to be adaptive in our approach for utilising these stations. The initial scheme includes a central corridor positioned directly on top of one of the railway tracks, providing a feature passageway for commuters to navigate through the three buildings.

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Many of our projects are in prominent waterfront locations within cities which become destinations for people to enjoy. We designed the The Contemporary Area of Al Seef in Dubai, which has been created as a complementary foil to the Heritage Area, forming part of the wider masterplan. The space which we designed has activated 670m of the Dubai Creek waterfront with boutique food and beverage, retail, hospitality, and marina amenities over a total of GFA of 85,000sqm. The retail and hospitality pavilions draw inspiration from the traditional arcade and souk typology in a contemporary adaptation. The meandering pathways between small, stacked pavilion structures create an intimate scale and alternative shaded environment to add to the variety and richness of the visitor experience. In order to provide best in class design-service to our broad range of clients, it is crucial to our business that we embrace global emerging talent. We encourage a collaborative workplace for ideas to be discussed and evolve. 10 Design creates a participatory platform where our creative talents solve complex problems confronting architecture and urban design. Our family of talent encompasses more than 30 nationalities, speaking over 40 languages and dialects across 7 offices including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Edinburgh, Dubai, Miami, London, and Shenzhen. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a considerable cultural advantage in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shrinking world. Global talent has fueled 10 and will continue to do so.

Al Seef (The Contemporary Area), Dubai, UAE Photography: Rafael Vargas

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Al Seef - The Contemporary Area, Dubai, UAE Photography: Rafael Vargas

EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

In addition, this significant cultural advantage brings diversity and creativity to 10 Design’s work in around 60 cities across Asia, MENA, Europe, and the Americas. Our global talents enable the practice to work at diverse scales, from the design of individual buildings to the planning of cities. This in turn has enabled 10 to offer expertise in the planning and design of projects in large-scale mixed use development, retail, office, residential, hospitality, transport, education, cultural, and civic projects.

Ross Milne, CEO, 10 Design The first 10 years of 10 Design’s development have been focused around establishing quality benchmarks which influence everything we do from our office environments to the selection of materials on site. The next phase of our growth is to push further into innovative and value driven design approaches synonymous with our brand.

As a forward looking practice, we at 10 Design are excited about the next 10 years of growth and are optimistic that the next decade brings as much opportunity for us as our first one. In the past couple of months, the world has suffered one of the most dramatic impacts to the global economy in decades and we have witnessed the built environment industry adapting to unprecedented challenges. We are proud to be part of the recovery of the market in Asia, having the majority of our projects on the area back on track, proving how essential the design and construction industry is for supporting the regional and local economy and creating liveable cities.

10 Design Hong Kong Office ©10 Design

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

SHENZHEN ENERGY MANSION BY CHAO ZHANG

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

BIG at All Scales:

Social Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities

apid urbanization in many of the cities in which we work has traditionally required quick responses to infrastructural gaps in order to accommodate population and economic growth. The old model of constructing purpose-built infrastructure on cities thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not civic or accessible will only become more glaring in its lack of response to the needs of urban populationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and especially as a consequence of the global Covid-19 Pandemic. Hybridizing infrastructure with social functions offers a holistic approach to sustainable cities that not only accounts for economic and ecological needs, but cultural and social ones too. BIG was founded in 2005, our early built works consisting mainly of affordable housing projects in Denmark designed around giving communities new green, social spaces. As the studio has expanded into a team that includes landscape architects and urban designers, we have continued this approach to nature and public space in the design of projects at a much larger scale, such as the BIG U, a 10-mile resilient masterplan that protects Lower Manhattan from sea level rise and extreme climate events with public programming.

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Our work in Asia has a similar lineage. The first tower we worked on in Shenzhen for an energy company has passive, sustainable approaches that have a few years later informed the design of the 175-hectare future city we designed for Toyota at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Similarly, a tower in Singapore imagined as a tropical rainforest within a skyscraper planted the seeds of a 4,500-acre vision off Penang Island that not only preserves but enhances the biodiversity of the region. We have observed a two-fold issue related to population and density in Asia split between newer cities, like Shenzhen, and those that have been established for longer periods, like Tokyo.

The modern incarnation of Shenzhen as the megalopolis we know today had its start as a humble fishing village. The city was declared a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980 and grew over the course of four decades from a population of about 60,000 to 12 million in 2020, and is now a global technology center rivaling Silicon Valley. The city has established robust infrastructure for economic growth, but its social and cultural infrastructure is in need of catching up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; propelling the government to enact a New Era of Culture, and a string of design competitions for landmark, cultural projects that our Copenhagen and New York studios have been participating in. SHENZHEN ENERGY MANSION BY CHAO ZHANG

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On the other hand, there are cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong, which have been around for a long time, are incredibly dense, expensive to live in, and the limits of how much personal living space can shrink for their majority populations has long ago been reached. Looking ahead, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a clear need for a creative use of density and infrastructure, including in some of these cities that have very low or even negative population growth, and where old infrastructure has become redundant and available for repurposing. In both cases there is an agenda, between these two conditions, that is related to

EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

SHENZHEN ENERGY MANSION BY CHAO ZHANG

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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balancing economic, ecological and social sustainability of cities. Architecture plays one role through the adaptive re-use of the infrastructure of the past and the proactive planning of the infrastructure of tomorrow, ensuring that it becomes a productive part of the social, cultural and economic life of our cities.

SHENZHEN ENERGY MANSION BY CHAO ZHANG

For the Shenzhen Energy Headquarters, it was important to let sustainable principles drive the design while creating a social landmark along one of the main axes of the city. In Shenzhen, following its inception as a Special

SHENZHEN ENERGY MANSION BY LAURIAN GHINITOIU

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Economic Zone in the 80s, urban planning primarily focused on the role of foreign direct investments and high tech industry as the city moved away from primary industries. This shifted in the early 2000’s to sustainable urban planning, and since, Shenzhen has been recognized as a leader in climate action, is the city with the cleanest air in China, and named an International Low Carbon City by C40. The site for the two towers in the business center of Shenzhen is surrounded by large towers with dark, glazed curtain wall facades, which in subtropical climatic conditions normally results in high energy consumption for air conditioning and poor views through coated windows. To break away from the traditional glass curtain wall, we folded the façade in an origami like structure, with closed and open faces. The closed faces are comprised of highly-insulated façade panels oriented

towards the primary southerly sun angles blocking direct sunlight and reducing overall reducing solar gain and glare. Even when the sun comes directly from the east or west, solar rays are reflected off of the glass due to the flat angles of the windows. Instead of relying solely on the technology of the façade, we utilize the tectonics of the architecture itself as the functional response to the climate, becoming the impetus for the formal response to the conditions of site and program—what we’ve called engineering without engines. One of our goals is to bring nature into the unexpected by creating hybrids of landscape and architecture. In Singapore, CapitaSpring, a 280-meter tower currently under construction in the Central Business District will offer access to generous greenery and outdoor spaces at the scale of a skyscraper.. A classic modernist pinstripe facade runs from top to bottom of the building, unifying the tower and the

CAPITASPRING BY BIG

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IMAGE BY FABIAN ONG

podium in one gesture, and is pulled apart expressing the green, social spaces inside. Singapore is well known for its progressive and pro-active attitude towards the integration of sky terraces and greenery into buildings. In commercial office buildings these sky terraces are at times manifested as large void spaces that provide architectural definition to the buildings but lack utilization. We have been fortunate there to work with a client, Capitaland, who was vested from the beginning in ensuring the space be actively programmed and utilized throughout the course of a day by users from the offices and serviced apartments that will inhabit the tower, as well as the general public—it will be a true celebration of tropical nature in the heart of the city. The geometry of the social spaces in the interior of the building is created by seven programmed platforms located at different heights, connected by stairs and ramps forming a continuous path with viewpoints across platforms. Voids in the platform create atrium spaces between 10 - 34 meters in height, while semicircular cutouts 26

toward the exterior of the space increase daylight and allow for tall plantings close to the façade. Biophilia is known to have positive effects on well-being and productivity, and a critical part of BIG’s office projects globally. The ongoing global COVID pandemic has given the integration of biophilia increased relevance and importance as something that provides not only psychological but physiological safety as well. Considering the translation of these approaches to a larger scale is emblematic in our first project in China, the 3,000 square meter Danish Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo in 2010, which was a synthesis of urban design and building. The pavilion was designed to give the visitor an experience of Copenhagen, from the city bike to the harbor bath, nature playground and an ecological picnic. Surrounding the harbor bath at its center, an archetypal Danish bicycle path wraps around itself to become a continuous loop of circulation inside and out, above and below the pavilion, so that the infrastructure of the city transforms into a social and educational experience.

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TOYOTA WOVEN CITY BY BIG

Ten years later, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just finished the masterplan design for Toyota Woven City, an urban incubator dedicated to advancing all aspects of mobility. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve designed a flexible network of three street types: a primary street for faster autonomous vehicles with logistical traffic underneath, a recreational promenade for micro-mobility such as scooters and bicycles, and a linear park dedicated to pedestrians. We aimed to create harmony between the built environment and nature, allocating equal space to gathering spaces and landscape, mobility and buildings, and resulting in a more balanced and sustainable model. Working towards a more carbon neutral society, the city will utilize solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydrogen fuel cell technology.

CAPITASPRING BY BIG + VMW

Toyota Woven City is conceived as a living laboratory for future technologies to be tested, gathering a wide range of companies and academic institutions to invest, research, develop and test future technologies and smart city concepts. Included in that environment is testing new facades and building approaches.

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Japanese architecture has long been admired for its high level of craft, precision, and simplicity. The buildings will carry on the tradition of the Japanese timber construction and wooden joinery, incorporating the carbonsequestering material and photovoltaic panels into a mix of housing, retail, and office buildings. Rather than manual labor, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve considered how robotic technology and machine learning can supply and assemble the buildings, making the woven city a testing ground for the future of construction.

TOYOTA WOVEN CITY BY SQUINT OPERA

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

Just as the future of mobility drove the urban design for Toyota Woven City, ecology became the starting point for the design of the Penang South Islands, where we considered

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how development could improve habitat over existing conditions. 4,500 acres of three manmade islands will set a global example for sustainable urbanism by protecting, preserving, and growing Penangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biodiversity while working toward a carbon-neutral city. The coastlines of the islands include beaches for people, protected habitats for animals, and are all designed to be resilient and protect the islands from storm events. Every piece of infrastructure has a recreational use, while parks are performative landscapes by cooling the city and managing stormwater. Buildings are designed with local natural materials such as bamboo, which can be grown on the neighborhoods themselves, and Malaysian timber, along with green concrete and recycled materials.

TOYOTA WOVEN CITY BY BIG

Modular prefabricated systems in BiodiverCity and other sites around the world allow us to create sustainable, architectural prototypes that are custom-tailored while also deployable at large numbers across cities. These systems will have even greater degrees of customization with advanced robotic technology or on-site 3D printing. Not only is the approach costeffective, but it also allows architects to respond to population increase and housing needs more quickly than ever before. BIG has recently begun working with and supporting ICON, the 3D-printing robotics start-up whose mission is to deliver dignified, resilient homes using advanced construction technologies. With ICON, we can play a role in materially, technologically, and environmentally revolutionizing the construction industry with computer-aided design and building information management.

TOYOTA WOVEN CITY BY BIG

As urban populations continue to increase, the need for infrastructure to support those populations will push developments to the water. Just as the design of office towers in Shenzhen and Singapore have informed our approach to urban master plans, these models will also transfer to self-sustaining floating cities. In our studios weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using the innovations in 3D printing, the flexibility of prefabrication, and

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the climate conscious materials learned in the visions of Toyota Woven City and BiodiverCity to develop deployable platforms on water that are designed to grow and adapt organically over time. Cities that will not only offer a living solution to vulnerable populations in tropical and subtropical regions affected by climate change, but also a healthier and more sustainable framework for urban life. Modern methods of design and rapid prototyping technologies are facilitating faster turnarounds, so that even as the scale of our projects has increased dramatically in the life of BIG, we also have better abilities to test and design infrastructure from the beginning to not only be functional and economically feasible but to accommodate ecological and social needs as well. These new methods of design allow us to address and provide solutions to purpose-built architecture of the past and to imagine and give form to a future that is sustainable at all scales.

BIODIVERCITY BY BIG + LUCIAN R

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BIODIVERCITY BY BIG + LUCIAN R

Brian Yang joined BIG in 2007 and has worked closely with Bjarke Ingels and the partners across a wide range of projects and programs such as: an energy efficient skyscraper completed in 2017 in Shenzhen; the 8 Houseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a new typology of residential building completed in 2010 in Copenhagen; and the concept design for the Kistefos Art Museum in Norway that bridges across a river, completed in 2019. He has been the Project Leader on a number of competitionwinning proposals, including the Amager Resource Center Waste-to-Energy plant in Copenhagen that doubles as a ski slope, and the LEGO House experience and play center in Denmark. Among recent ongoing projects, he has been the partner-in-charge for CapitaSpring, a 280M tall mixed-use tower in the heart of Singapore that broke ground in 2018. BIODIVERCITY BY BIG + LUCIAN R

BIODIVERCITY BY BIG + LUCIAN R

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Glass and Steel Gateway Gets its Sea Legs

Foster + Partners

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hen Inhabit’s façade design team was engaged to consult on the extension to the Hong Kong’s Ocean Terminal in Kowloon, they faced unique and complex challenges.

Designed by Foster + Partners, the building is a gateway to Hong Kong for many thousands of international cruise liner passengers as well as a hospitality destination with restaurants, outdoor terraces and retail outlets making the most of panoramic views across Victoria Harbour and the city’s skyline. Construction on the project began in 2012 and the building was completed in 2017. Inhabit’s Hong Kong team was commissioned to provide façade, building physics and access and maintenance consultancy, as well as Separate Facade RSE and BD Liaison Services for Harbour City.

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Established in 2010, with offices across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and UK, Inhabit is a design-led engineering practice with a diverse international body of work that includes partnerships with some of the most creative and celebrated architects around the world. Founding Partner and Executive Director Hugh Brennand is responsible for the business operations of the Hong Kong and Macau offices and sits on the global board of directors. He oversees projects in China and South East Asia as well as providing technical support and mentoring to the Inhabit team. With an engineering background, Brennand has worked closely with architects on a wide variety of projects allowing him a greater appreciation of the architectural vision. He has developed design knowledge that covers a vast array of façade systems and materials, having expertise across a variety of project types, ranging from boutique shop fronts to super tall skyscrapers. Under his leadership, the Hong Kong team worked closely with the design team to solve the unique challenges thrown up by this project. The four-storey building, which has a 9,000sqm m gross floor area, is built on an elevated steel structure directly above the sea level. One of the major challenges facing the design team was the differential movement between the new structure and the existing marine deck which was subject to varying movements due to tidal changes and the large cruise ships berthing alongside it. The ground floor façade had the challenge of spanning between the two structures and had to overcome the differential movements.

These huge cantilevered decks at each level contributed to the highly demanding movement requirements for the curved, double-laminated insulated glazing units and the 4.5m x 9.6m custom made automated sliding doors which were imported from Europe. “Inhabit worked collectively with the design team to conceive a floating steel slab which sat on bearings on the marine deck and fixed to the new steel columns,” Brennand said. The huge curved glass panels at the corners of the lower deck, and the automated sliding doors are both fixed between the floating slab and the new cantilevered steel decks,” he said.

The project’s challenges also need to be viewed in the context of Hong Kong’s climate. In the summer months tropical storms or typhoons bring the potential for storm surges and temperatures can reach 36 degrees Celsius and over in the hottest months of July and August. The primary facade of the project was also west facing and had to deal with low sun angles in the late afternoon.

The typical facade panels were up to 4.7m high and 2.4m in width whilst the doublelaminated corner curved glass measures 4.7m high and 1.5m radius has a glass composition of 6HS+PVB+6HS+12A+6HS+PVB+6HS with a low-E coating on surface #4. The large size and multiple layers of the thin, curved glass and low-E coating presented challenges in both the production process and the installation.

Architecturally, the form of the building is a direct response to its climatic context with large cantilevered terraces shading the lower levels from the tropical sun. The building’s balustrades are angled to tie in with the overall geometry of the building and to act as louvred shading devices for the terrace below.

The Inhabit team carried out glare analysis to determine the optimum glare and solar control for maximum user comfort in the restaurant area. Additionally, the angle and the position of the louvres on the west-facing balustrade were assessed during the building physics study to determine the optimum glare and solar control.

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

Foster + Partners

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intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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The glazing system for the coach and bus bay which is open to the elements provided yet another challenge for the façade design team as it was not feasible to implement the floating slab solution in this location. “The glass wall, with panels 4 metres in height were also subject to the marine deck’s movements, hence the base of the façade had to be released in all directions. Steel frames were introduced, cantilevering from the deck 36

above to provide structural support to the glazing system” Brennand said. The project also required the design of a stepped glazing skylight, a large external stair connecting the third-level deck to the roof deck. The width of the tread spans across 13m with the stair riser composed of laminated glass performing as an inclined skylight to the atrium below.

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“The anticipated live load deflection of the steps was +-20mm. To compensate for the dead-load and live-load deflection, the glass was designed with the head glazing channel connected to a 40mm vertical slot hole. This functioned as a wind-load bracket and the sill channel fixed to the bottom tread acts as a wind-load and dead-load support,” he said. Maintenance solutions for the underside of the atrium stepped glazing was challenging as there are escalators situated in the centre of the atrium. Inhabit proposed using a gantry monorail system providing a 13m span girder installed with driving mechanisms on either end allowing the girder to traverse the underside of the steps.

Hugh Brennand

www.inhabitgroup.com

“Working with Foster + Partners on this project was a great experience. The technical challenges we were presented with forced us to really push the boundaries of façade engineering. The overall result is a welldesigned and detailed building which we are proud to have contributed to,” Brennand said.

Foster + Partners

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intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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The Sustainable Office Tower The next step towards CO2 neutral high-rise buildings By Dipl. Ing. Thomas Fritzsche (tfa) - Architect and Dr.-Ing. Robert Himmler (EGS-plan) - Engineer the occupant satisfaction and the functional flexibility are still in need for improvement.

INTRODUCTION Contemporary Green Building Design In the last couple of years there has been a huge shift towards green and sustainable buildings in Southeast Asia. Especially in major cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Bangkok, more and more premium high-rise buildings with a reduced energy demand and improved well-being of the occupants have been built and their “greenness” and sustainability has been certified by LEED, WELL or other rating systems. However, the improvements in these new buildings were partially sobering: Energy audits and market studies even in Gold and Platinum certified buildings show, that the thermal and acoustic comfort, the daylight situation,

One of the reasons for this might be that the applied certification systems tempt the designers and engineers to use “classic” building concepts as a blueprint and “slap” isolated green features such as double glazing, VAV airconditioning and bicycle racks on the building, instead of encouraging the designers and engineers to rethink the design task from scratch and develop a future-proof holistic concept. The Next Step in Sustainable Building Design Architect Thomas Fritzsche and engineer Dr. Robert Himmler, both very experienced in the design of office buildings in Asia, recently teamed up to take the next step in sustainable building design. Together with

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a team of consultants, structural engineers and workplace-designers they launched The Sustainable Office Tower research project to develop a new holistic approach that combines sustainable building principles with the latest trends in workplace design. This approach strives for a new typology of office high-rise buildings which would take the environmental, economic and socio-functional challenges of future office buildings into account and could function as role model for the next step in sustainable building design. The Design Process The Sustainable Office Tower research project was developed with the academic freedom to question all conventions and to try every possible solution to get the best results for a new typology of sustainable office high-rise building. From the first steps of the design process to the still open end all team members had the same right to articulate their ideas and to introduce

their experience. This kept the design process result-orientated and guaranteed a solution that was not fixed before by one team member. The architect played the role of a moderator and design leader. The intention of The Sustainable Office Tower research project was not to go from the design process directly into the realization of the project. The intention was to introduce â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;what could be doneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to clients that are open to take the next step and that are willing to strive for a future-proof holistic solution. Together with these clients the findings of The Sustainable Office Tower research project could be implemented into actual projects.

garage entrance and the side entrance is on the South-East side. On the North-East side and the South-West side The Sustainable Office Tower is surrounded by office high-rise buildings. Organization The Sustainable Office Tower is a building that shows the different functions of its components. It is a layered and self-explanatory building. It is composed of two 32 floors high and 12 m deep office towers with adjacent cores and a 125 m high and 9 m wide atrium. In the atrium bridges and platforms function as elevator lobbies and open meeting areas connecting the 2 office towers.

ARCHITECTURE Urban Planning The Sustainable Office Tower is planned on a 140 m long and 60 m wide South-West orientated flat plot in Bangkok. The public entrance is on the North-West side and the

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The atrium is the spectacular green center and lively core of the building. An architectonical element, that no other building has. Additional functions like restaurants, cafes, meeting and conference areas and an

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exhibition hall are arranged in the first two public floors. Above the first two floors the office areas are combined in 3 blocks of 6 - 11 floors. Between these blocks of floors and on the roof top open terraces with a floor height of 5 respectively 10 m offer large open recreation and meeting areas with an intensive greenery and sports facilities. Some of the technical equipment is placed here as well. The basement of The Sustainable Office Tower offers parking lots for electric cars, e-bikes and bicycles as well as technic and storage rooms. In total The Sustainable Office Tower has a gross floor area of 57.000 sqm above ground. Architectural Design The design follows a highly rational approach with principles as ‘form follows function’, less is more’ and ‘more with less’. Everything is kept simple and elegant.

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At the same time the building creates a connection between inside and outside, between the surrounding green and the extensive greenery inside the building. By connecting the floors and introducing the atrium, the building offers more spatial sensations and relations, it stimulates the senses, it fosters identification with the building and encourages to more communication among the users. With its public gardens, its open first two floors and the atrium, The Sustainable Office Tower becomes an integrated part of the surrounding city, open for passers-by and neighbors. It fits well into the urban fabric and social surrounding as a building for all. The rational layout of the floor plans and construction grid makes The Sustainable Office Tower fit for future developments and allows to accommodate offices of any size. Each floor offers highest workplace quality and perfect daylight as well as views to the neighborhood and into the stunning atrium. The well-proportioned mixture of areas of concentration and focused work as well as areas of communication, for informal meetings and teamwork, create a workplace community with higher creativity and work-efficiency.

Air tight facade Noise damper

100% fresh air (0.25 m x 0.45 m)

Perforated metal chilled ceiling with mineral wool for sound absorption

18 ℃ LED (downlight)

Single Glazing

18 ℃

Corridor

LED (direct-indirect)

3 m 3.6 m 24 ℃

Fixed, opaque Louvers Air filled double glazing with low-E coating (SHCG < 0.29; Ug < 1.6 W/m2K)

Glare protection (bottom up)

Double floor for flexible infrastructure

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Atrium

communication and resting areas 26 â&#x201E;&#x192;

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The abundant green inside and outside the building with its biodiversity of local trees, bushes and shrubs as well as urban farming on the roof, supports this concept, offers recreation and influences the micro climate. The curtainwall façade of The Sustainable Office Tower consists of an external, fixed shading system on the long elevations respectively intensive greenery on the short elevations in combination with a double low-E glazing and improved airtightness. The façade is delivered pre-assembled to the construction site, so that a high manufacturing quality and a speedy installation is possible. The façade reduces the cooling load for air-conditioning, improves thermal comfort due to the external shading and provides excellent views as well as daylight for the occupants. Columns, ceilings, cores, staircases and elevator walls and elevations elements as well as technical equipment and decoration elements like floor and ceiling modules or office walls are prefabricated and assembled on site. This helps to reach a higher construction quality and a shorter construction time and it helps to reduce waste and pollution. To guarantee a healthy interior all materials used are certified and as far as possible materials with recycled 44

content are used in the shell construction as well as in the decoration. BUILDING SERVICES Office Concept for improved Health and Well-Being The technical concept of The Sustainable Office Tower is revolutionary and a huge leap towards CO2 neutral and healthy buildings. Core of the concept is the chilled ceiling system combined with a DOA ventilation system (“Dedicated Outdoor Air”), which provides several advantages in regard to energy performance, occupant health and well-being as well as cost efficiency: The chilled ceiling system consists of water cooled metal panels which are visibly installed under the actual concrete ceiling. This “gentle” cooling technology transfers cooling energy mainly by radiation and avoids cold air draft and discomfort created by cold air movement. Since the water circulation within the chilled ceiling panels is completely noiseless, no sound emissions from air conditioning will occur. On the contrary: the ceiling panels are perforated and backfilled with acoustic material so that the reverberation time and echo in the office space is reduced and acoustic comfort improved. Furthermore, the chilled ceilings are also used as reflectors

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for the direct / indirect LED lighting system. The lighting system will utilize the excellent daylighting situation in the building due to the slim office width and the adjacent atrium by a daylight control system. Ventilation Concept to provide fresh instead of recirculated Air The ventilation system provides 100 % outside air and avoids recirculation like the usual air-conditioning systems in Southeast Asia. The outside air is filtered to prevent PM2.5 and other harmful particles from entering the building. Also, the air is dehumidified to reduce the risk of condensation at the chilled ceiling and re-heated to improve thermal comfort. This reduces the risk of virus transmission and guarantees the best possible air-quality. The dehumidified and filtered supply air is provided with an air temperature of 18°C in a duct which is integrated in an infrastructure channel above the central corridor in the offices. After the air passes through noise dampers, it is blown horizontally left and right into the office area. Due to the Coanda-Effect (an under-pressure occurs, if air flows parallel to a flat surface), the air flow “sticks” to the ceiling and gradually mixes with the room air. This avoids a supply air branches into the office area and thus further reduces duct length. The noise dampers avoid

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consumption of The Sustainable Office Tower will be 30 to 40 % lower than a current green office building in Bangkok. Space Efficiency Without air-recirculation all supply-air ducts and shafts in The Sustainable Office Tower can be reduced by around 75 % and technical rooms for air-handling units – which make up to 3 % of floor space in a normal building - are obsolete. Due to the reduced air duct size, the office floor height can be lowered to 3.60 m instead of the usual 4.0 to 4.5 m, still guaranteeing a clear room height of 3,00 m. This leads to 5 more floors in the same building envelope, which increases the usable area by 18% and hence the rental revenue in comparison to a conventional green building concept.

crosstalk attenuation in case partition walls are installed to achieve smaller office units or meeting rooms. Technical Infrastructure for improved Flexibility The central infrastructure channel at the ceiling also houses beside the fresh air duct, the high temperature (15°C) water supply for the chilled ceilings, a low temperature water supply (7°C) for special applications (e.g. server rooms), electric and network cables as well as downlights for the mid-section of the office. The channel is easily accessible for maintenance and provides flexibility for floor layouts from single room offices, meeting rooms to open plan offices which can be later easily modified. Atrium Concept to utilize Synergies The return air is taken in at two locations at each office wing and floor and transferred passively by under-pressure into the atrium. From there the air flows to the 12 DOA units with an air flow rate of 20,000 m3/h per unit. The atrium is therefore acting as a “return air duct” and is at the same time cooled by the return air from the offices. Since the cooling capacity of the return air is not sufficient to achieve a good thermal comfort, the atrium

will be also cooled by a floor cooling system which consists of polymer pipes installed in the screed of the corridors and “bridges” with resting areas in the atrium. Energy Supply Concept: coming closer to CO2 neutrality The chilled ceilings and the floor cooling system require a supply water temperature of around 15°C instead of the usual 7°C which leads to a significantly higher energy efficiency and smaller size of the chiller plant. The direct expansion units which are required for airdehumidification are directly integrated into the air-handling systems and thus save space and further reduce energy consumption. The ventilation systems in The Sustainable Office Tower have two energy recovery systems: an enthalpy wheel to precool and dehumidify the air and a second sensible wheel to reheat the supply air temperature to comfortable 18°C. The overall energy recovery rate of the ventilation system is more than 80%. Further significant energy savings are expected from the cooling energy distribution by water instead of air and the reduced pressure drop in the duct system, due to reduced duct length. Through the combination of a high-performance building envelope, energy efficient technologies and solar panels on the roof the energy

Life-Cycle-Assessment to reduce the Environmental Impact The environmental impact of construction materials is becoming more and more important considering the full lifecycle of a building with an extremely reduced energy consumption such as The Sustainable Office Tower. The lean architecture of the building combined with the material savings due to the reduced floor height in combination with the use of recycled materials will lead to a reduced environmental impact in regard to global warming potential and other environmental indicators. Circular Economy: what happens at the end of life? Another important aspect of sustainable buildings is the ease of recovery and recycling of construction materials at the end of life of the building. This circular economy approach is already implemented in the design of The Sustainable Office Tower: through the selection of easy to recycle materials and a building structure, which is easy to recover, the building can be considered to be a future source of construction materials. Life-Cycle Costs: making sustainability affordable In contrary to other green building concepts, The Sustainable Office Tower was designed with reduced life-cycle costs in mind: the higher investment costs for the radiant cooling system lead to 18 % more floor area and thus higher rental revenues. The payback time is less than one year without even considering the lower energy and maintenance costs of the building.

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Feasibility of Radiant Cooling The Sustainable Office Tower represents a new office building concept for Southeast Asia, and it is centered around the chilled ceiling system, which is a sub-type of radiant cooling. The question is: why did nobody implement the system before? Well, actually it was: In central Europe radiant cooling combined with fresh air ventilation is considered to be the highest standard of air-conditioning and was implemented on millions of square meter of office space in the last 20 years. Some critics make a case of the risk of condensation and that the system wouldn’t work in the hot and humid climate in Southeast Asia. Condensation at the chilled ceilings will be mitigated in The Sustainable Office Tower by several measures: the air-tight building envelope without direct openings to the outside, air-locks at each entrance, de-humidification of the supply air, dew-point controlled supply water temperature and dew point sensors with shut-off valves in every office area. Pilot projects in Kuala Lumpur (Diamond Building, 14,000 m2; Geo Building, 4,000 m2) and Hyderabad (INFOSYS, 11,600 m2) have shown, that radiant cooling is working also in tropical climates. Measurements in the beforementioned buildings show, that an excellent thermal comfort was achieved without condensation occurring. The energy use intensity in the before mentioned buildings is outstanding with 69 kWh/m2a (Diamond Building), 64,0 kWh/m2a (GEO Building) and 91,8 kWh/m2a (INFOSYS Building).

Robert Himmler Founder and Managing Director, EGS-plan Bangkok Dr. Himmler is a German mechanical engineer who has been working and living in the past seven years in Southeast Asia. He is founder and Managing Director of the foreign subsidiary EGS-plan in Bangkok, an engineering consultancy working in the field of energy efficient and sustainable buildings and urban districts. From 2003 to 2006 Dr. Himmler has been researcher at the Institute for Building Services IGS at the Technical University Braunschweig and was awarded a PhD in the field of radiant heating and cooling in low energy office buildings. Since 2013 he is adjunct professor at the Joint Graduate School for Energy and the Environment JGSEE / KMUTT in Bangkok. Dr. Himmler is working since more than 20 years in this field and has designed and implemented the energy and sustainability concepts in many groundbreaking projects such as the low energy office building Energieforum in Berlin/Germany, the energy plus factory Elobau/Germany, four LEED certification projects in Germany, Austria and Thailand and seven DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) certification projects in Thailand. More information about EGS-plan Bangkok you will find on the website egs-bangkok. com

The example of these buildings show, that the energy concept of the Sustainable Office Tower will work also in the demanding climate of tropical countries and that it is feasible to implement. Prerequisites for the successful implementation is an early cooperation between architect and engineer, a thoroughly design, rigorous quality management on the construction site, proven materials and suppliers as well as a systematic commissioning of the system. Sustainable Building Certification with DGNB The building certification system, which reflects best the design philosophy and life-cycle approach of the Sustainable Office Tower is the DGNB system of the German Sustainable Building Council. The basic approach of the DGNB system is to treat the environmental, economic and socio-cultural quality of a building equally. Furthermore, it follows a 46

Thomas Fritzsche Dipl. Ing., Freier Architekt founder + head of design of thomas fritzsche architects | tfa thomas fritzsche architects | tfa is a German office founded 1988 by Thomas Fritzsche in Stuttgart / Germany. Since 2005 thomas fritzsche architects | tfa is based in Shanghai / China and operates an office in Köln / Germany. With 32 years of experience in Germany and Asia, 174 designed projects and 85 completed buildings thomas fritzsche architects | tfa ensures German experience and German quality. By designing and realising many projects as business parks, buildings for work and workplace interiors thomas fritzsche architects | tfa consistently developed a strong expertise as a well-recognised workplace-specialist. The participation in conferences, tradefairs and research on workplace design strengthens this expertise constantly. In all projects thomas fritzsche architects | tfa follows the principals ‘form follows function’, ‘less is more’ and ‘more with less’. Sustainable design is for thomas fritzsche architects | tfa the only way to design surroundings of highest quality, to protect the environment and to improve the quality of people’s lives. thomas fritzsche architects | tfa designs all stages of a project as master planning, architectural design, interior design and landscape design. Additionally thomas fritzsche architects | tfa monitors all external planers and supervises the construction site. More information about thomas fritzsche architects | tfa you will find on the website tf-a.de

performance life-cycle approach instead of ticking checklists. The building will strive for a DGNB Platinum certification. CONCLUSION The Sustainable Office Tower combines a modern and lean workplace architecture with

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a truly innovative and healthy energy and sustainability concept. It will be a role model for future office projects in Southeast Asia.

EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

Kevin Hydes

Founder of Integral discusses the integration between building skins and systems, providing an office design blueprint for a post-pandemic world that can thrive

Page 104

Soo K. Chan and Jimmy Cheok Siang

delve deep into sustainability, technology and glass in this exclusive interview for IGS Magazine

Page 78

Sammy Hui

authors this issues Glass Word, the final thoughts to this historic edition from a man of infinite façade wisdom

Page 123

PLENTY MORE TO COME

Up to this point you have read articles from some of the foremost experts involved with glass, architectural design and façade engineering projects in Asia Pacific; authentic leaders in their respective industries who have immortalized the future of the built environment by penning their knowledge onto the pages of IGS Magazine. In the second chapter of this historic edition you will gain insight into the seemingly simple, but complex world of skybridges from CTBUH Executive Director Anthony Wood and hear from two of Asia’s most renowned architects in an unprecedented double interview. Last, but by no means least, Sammy Hui, Vice President of the Hong Kong Facade Association has The Glass Word – the definitive word in the architectural glass industry!

This is IGS – Nothing more, nothing less…NOTHING ELSE intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020 on Unsplash 47 Photo by Pang Yuhao

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Raffles City Chongqing: The World’s Highest Horizontal Skyscraper

Continuing through 2020, the opening will culminate with the completion of The Crystal, a 280m-long ‘horizontal skyscraper’ built at a height of 250m

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“While centuries-old, Chongqing is now experiencing rapid growth and regeneration that demands thoughtful solutions to increased density and mega-scale projects. Guided by the sheer scale and complexity of the site, our design brings people in and through the site at different levels, whether by foot, car, train, or ferry, to reconnect the city to its most historic site—The Emperor’s Landing.” Moshe Safdie

ollowing eight years of design, development, and construction, Safdie Architects is nearing completion on its latest project in China: Raffles City Chongqing, a vibrant complex which combines office, residential, hotel, retail, and recreational facilities across a 22.7 acre site, embedded within the densely developed Yuzhong district. Situated at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, the historically significant site was once home to the city’s most important gateway and the imperial entrance to the city: Chaotian Gate. The area was also Chongqing’s foremost riverfront trading post which has traditionally driven development in this inland city, catalyzing its evolution to become one of the world’s fastest-growing and densest cities with a greater metropolitan population of over 30 million people.

Image Courtesy of CapitaLand

A phased opening of Raffles City Chongqing commenced in September 2019 with the unveiling of a 220,000 sq.m., five-story retail galleria and continues into early 2020, culminating with the opening of The Crystal, a 300m-long horizontal skyscraper perched at 250m and stretching across four of the development’s eight towers. Inherently site-specific, Safdie Architects’ design for Raffles City Chongqing responds to the city’s character as well as its mountainous landscape and extreme climate. The project embodies a considered approach to issues of population density, community connectivity, and urban renewal within a highly developed city center. It is the firm’s 4th collaboration with CapitaLand, one of Asia’s largest real estate developers.

Image Courtesy of CapitaLand

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Image Courtesy of Safdie Architects

With a total built area of over 1 million square meters (approx. 11 million square feet), Raffles City Chongqing is one of Safdie Architects’ largest and most complex projects to date. It continues the firm’s exploration of vertical neighborhoods, livable urban communities, and thoughtfully connected public spaces. As with other Safdie projects, priority is given to maximizing access to daylight, air, greenspace, and views. In order to achieve this in Chongqing, the development’s diverse program elements are distributed across eight slender towers which soar above a retail podium which features an expansive rooftop 50

public park and civic plaza that connects directly to the city’s higher elevation streets. To account for the hilly terrain, the retail podium provides multiple entry points into the development at different elevations. The Crystal - Spanning across four accessible towers, at a length of 300 meters, the Crystal also connects to two of the development’s taller towers via linking bridges. Consider ‘horizontal skyscraper,’ the Crystal houses 15,000 sq.m. of facilities including gardens, numerous dining options, bar and event space, a residential clubhouse, infinity pool, and hotel

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Image Courtesy of Safdie Architects

lobby. A public observatory offers visitors unobstructed views of the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers through a glassbottom, open-air viewing deck. An evolution on Safdie Architects’ ‘SkyPark’ developed for Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, The Crystal continues the firm’s exploration into the potential of connecting buildings as a means of expanding the available public space offered in dense, urban developments — often at sky level. Enclosed by a glass and steel structure termed a concertina — a serrated profile with an elliptical

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cross section — The Crystal offers visitors access to natural light, extensive views, and garden settings throughout the year. Metal panels on the west-facing concertina surfaces and glass on the east-facing surfaces afford the guests and visitors with natural light in the morning and shade from the sun in the afternoon. Situated in an earthquake zone, The Crystal ‘floats’ on large scale bearings on the towers to accommodate for any necessary movement. Retail Galleria and Roof Park - The retail gallery is organized in five stories, topped by an expansive public park that overlooks

historic Chaotianmen Square. The three main retail gallerias align with, and are a conceptual continuation of, the principal north-south streets of the city. Set between the towers, the gallerias create clear interior ‘streets’ that run through the retail podium towards the square. Each of these interior streets are generously endowed with natural light from skylights set in the podium above. Two additional gallerias run across the podium, in the east-west direction, and provide the visitors with views towards the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers. The system of gallerias, punctuated by the nodes at their intersection, provide a means for the visitors

to orient themselves within the 220,000 sq.m. podium The public park sits adjacent to each of the residential tower’s private gardens, creating a network of green and open space across the development that overlooks the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers. Public artworks in the park include major sculptures by notable Chinese artists Zheng Lu and Jiao Xing Tao. Towers -The Raffles City Chongqing development is composed of eight towers in total, with six southern towers rising to 250m,

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Image Courtesy of Safdie Architects

and two northern towers extending upwards to 350m. The positioning of towers follows the internal logic of the retail gallerias to align with the surrounding street grid and provide a sense of orientation with the city. Urban windows created by the towers provide views from the city through the development to the two rivers. The north side of the towers features a “sail” screen that provides uniformity to the façade and filters daylight for the residents and office workers. Five are dedicated residential towers, including one of the northern towers making it the tallest residential tower in China. The second 350m tower is office space until the level of the conservatory, where it then transitions to a hotel. Article courtesy of Safdie Architects

Image Courtesy of CapitaLand

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About Safdie Architects Safdie Architects is an architecture and urban design studio imbued with a spirit of idealism and innovation; drawing upon a depth of experience to solve contemporary building challenges in imaginative and unexpected ways. Safdie Architects is active in a wide variety of project types, scales, and sectors, designing museums, cultural centers, libraries, housing, mixed-use developments, transportation centers, and master plans in geographically and culturally diverse places. The studio’s projects around the world have become beloved resources and symbols of their communities as well as regional and national landmarks. The practice has its design headquarters in Boston with offices in Jerusalem, Toronto, Shanghai, and Singapore.

Image Courtesy of Safdie Architects

Project Credits Architects: Safdie Architects Area: 1000000 m² Year: 2020 Design Architect: Safdie Architects Executive Architect: P&T Group International Limited Design Institute: CQADI (Chongqing Architectural Design Institute) Client: CapitaLand Structural Engineer: Arup Mep Engineer: Parsons Brinckerhoff Landscape Architect: Williams, Asselin, Ackaoui & Associates Facade Engineer: ALT Signage+Wayfinding: Pentagram + Entro Lighting Consultant: BPI (Brandston Partnership Incorporated) Interior Design: The Buchan Group (Retail) Leed Consultant: Arup Quantity Surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall

About CapitaLand CapitaLand Limited (CapitaLand) is one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups. Headquartered in Singapore, it owns and manages a global portfolio worth S$129.1 billion as at 30 June 2019. CapitaLand’s portfolio spans across diversified real estate classes which includes commercial, retail; business park, industrial and logistics; integrated development, urban development; as well as lodging and residential. With a presence across more than 200 cities in over 30 countries, the Group focuses on Singapore and China as its core markets, while it continues to expand in markets such as India, Vietnam, Australia, Europe, and the USA.

Image Courtesy of CapitaLand

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Glass Re-imagined: Overview – K11 MUSEA Situated at the heart of art and design district Victoria Dockside, the new bustling cultural-retail destination K11 MUSEA, is a collaborative design effort by 100 Creative Powers that features local and international artists, architects and designers. Presented by K11 Group as Hong Kong’s Silicon Valley of Culture, K11 MUSEA is a blend of cutting-edge design fused with art and culture, creating an immersive experience to inspire the next generation. It is only fitting then that the innovation in both the architecture and the engineering of the building reflected this and its prime Victoria Harbour waterfront location. The new glass, tubular facade of K11 MUSEA, designed by Facade Engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan, in conjunction with SO-IL Architects and specialist Contractor seele, is an inspiring, totally unique and ground-breaking facade. It has pushed new boundaries in its fabrication, installation and the advancement of the closed cavity facade system (CCF). After years-long testing and development, the façade is now unveiled to a wealth of critical acclaim.

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Image courtesy of Eckersley O'Callaghan

Sculpting the Tubular Faรงade of

K11 MUSEA intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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Image courtesy of Eckersley O'Callaghan

K11 MUSEA – the facade SO-IL aimed to create a transparent, sculptural, frameless glass facade which plays with the arrays of reflection and light. The result was a facade comprising over 300 9m high, 900mm diameter glass tubes wrapping around the whole perimeter of the mall on the sixth and seventh floors of K11 MUSEA.

To do so, Eckersley O’Callaghan first investigated whether it was possible to use a gravity drawn process to shape the glass into 900mm diameter cylinders using borosilicate tubes. A limitation of tubes are able to be produced, meaning that the team then had to conduct a series of tests to splice a full tube together using 3m and 1.5m sections to create a 9m long laminated full tube.

But the challenge was to translate the vision into reality taking into account typhoon wind loading, high humidity, the height of glass required and the tight radius to which the glass had to be bent to create the cylinders. To put this into context, typical wind loads in the UK may range from 0.8kPa to 1kPa, but in Hong Kong, typical pressures on the facade are in the order of 2.5kPa up to 5.1kPa around the openings.

Lamination tests were conducted with a Sentry Glass interlayer at Sedak and with a poured resin interlayer at Schott’s in-house laboratory. However, due to the dimensional tolerances of the tubes due to their vertical gravity, drawing process was significantly larger than what is common in the curving of flat glass, initial lamination tests were not successful. The pressure of the autoclave led to stress concentrations in the glass because the radius of the two layers did not match precisely enough. Another limitation was a maximum radius of 400mm and hence the team diverted to a more traditional approach starting with flat glass.

Two types of panels are used to form the glazed envelope – half tubes, leading to a single glazed wall with a difference in internal and external appearance and full tubes, which are made by connecting two half tubes to form closed tubes. Developing the glass tubes Creating the glass tubes to a radius of 450mm with the required strength was the first challenge. 56

It was then decided to create the tubes as two half tubes so that the glass could be bent into shape and then joined together. Automated curving ovens were then used to mould the glass while simultaneously toughening it as it quenched. This process can

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Photography by Jeff Tung. Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

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Photography by Jeff Tung. Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

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only form a radius down to approximately 1000mm, so this method was ruled out.

Photography by Jeff Tung. Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

The alternative to this was to use gravity bending to slump the heated flat sheets of glass over a mould. Rather than rapidly cooling to achieve a pre-stress, the slow annealing process to release any stress that has been induced in the process, was carried out by CRICURSA in Barcelona. “With this technique for bending glass, to get the quality right when you’re slumping it over the mould, you have to make sure the thickness of the glass is uniform throughout and the surface of the glass is not distorted as it happens,” says Eckersley O’Callaghan Facade Director Damian Rogan. “It’s a very specialist thing and that is why we engaged the CRICURSA early on in the design process to perfect the method to do this.” Despite having to use the annealed glass, the inherent stiffness which came with the change in geometry from flat to curved was sufficient to require only two 12mm-thick-plies of glass laminated together to span the 9m height. As a comparison, a flat glass would have required approximately 10 layers of 10mm glass, to achieve a similar performance over the span of 9m. The thinness of the glass also increased its transparency with the thicker build up having an increased light absorption. The curvature

Photography by Jeff Tung. Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

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Photography by Jeff Tung. Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

results in an increase in light transmission of 20%. But this was not the only benefit of the thinness of the glass. “The colour plays a very important role in the perception of transparency,” says Eckersley O’Callaghan Associate Director Lisa Rammig. “The smaller the perceivable tint in the material, the clearer the glass appears. “Even on a glass tube with a reduced iron content as used in this installation, a tint is existent, which becomes more visible when more layers of glass are stacked and laminated together.”

Photography by Jeff Tung. Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

“The two layers that are to be laminated, have to be curved together in the same mould to achieve the dimensional precision that was lacking in the initial borosilicate tube splice test. There is then a negotiation between exposure time in the oven to achieve the desired geometrical precision and the quality of the glass surface. Longer exposure to heat can cause visible mould marks on the surface intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

of the glass. CRICURSA did an excellent job at testing and optimising this throughout the manufacturing period”

stress concentrations or thermal stress, so the quality control of the edge polishing was an important procedure.

A Sentry Glass interlayer was used due to its better flow rate in the autoclave which allowed to fill in any tolerances in the girth of the two tubes. As the edges of some of the tubes are exposed, the Sentry Glass interlayer also provides better durability in case of moisture exposure with a lower risk of delamination. Due to the use of annealed glass, the edge quality was very important to avoid breakage due to

The team then satisfied itself by carrying out a thermal stress analysis that the annealed glass could withstand the temperature differentials which could have caused it to crack under partial sun and shaded conditions.

“Annealed glass is more susceptible to thermal stress and fracture so it’s something we’re always concerned about,” says Rogan. “If sun

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Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

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hits one part, but not another, temperature differentials and stress differentials are set up so that is a common way it can break. “Because of this we looked at the shading of the site around the perimeter and measured the amount of radiation on the glass. It’s common now, but wasn’t at the time. Because of the geometry and size of the tubes we were concerned that the internal stresses would be more significant than normal. After analysing it, we determined that the stresses would be within the allowable limits.”

principle was used to avoid condensation in the cavity due to temperature differentials as well as dirt and dust getting into the tubes, which are not accessible. Within the unit, the tubes are base supported in fitted, circular, polished duplex-stainless steel shoes, and laterally restrained at the top through a similar stainless steel lid. With the structural design being done, the next challenge was to overcome the climatic loading and condensation issues for the closed, complete tubes.

Climatic loading and condensation Traditional double layer facades with typical spaces of 100mm to 300mm have an air volume of 1500l. In comparison, each of the 900mm diameter and 9m long tubes contain around 6000l of air. This proves problematic when this volume is heated, expanding by around 800l. In a sealed unit, this expansion and contraction can induce very high climatic pressures. Under these applied loads with the glass being curved and therefore more stiff, analysis showed that the tubes would have failed and cracked.

To join the tubes together, a special thermally broken extrusion was designed to join the two half tubes to a fully sealed Closed Cavity Facade (CCF) unit. CCFs are typically used to improve acoustic and thermal properties of a typical IGU curtain wall and to allow for dynamic shading in high wind applications like towers. An additional layer of glass in front of the IGU creates a cavity that provides a protected environment for the blinds. In this case the CCF

Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

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Similarly, the pressures exerted on the silicone joints between the half tubes were causing issues.

Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

The system therefore had to be opened. But in a non-sealed unit, when the air contracts it sucks in humid air and dirt from the surrounding atmosphere leading to contamination and condensation. So a closed cavity facade system (CCF) needed to be employed. “We needed to depressurise the air volume so it’s an open system,” says seele Head of R&D Martien Teich talking about the process at GPD Finland 2019. “From the top we blow dried, temperate and cleaned air into the air volume. There’s always a slight over pressure in the system to stop outside air being sucked in.” With the air being dried and temperate, the risk of condensation was minimised. However, with around 6000l of air contained within each tube, it was not clear whether the CCF system would be able to perform having not been used in this way before. Testing of the system In order to minimise the energy used by the CCF system, the team carried out a number of tests and numerical analysis to optimise the speed of the airflow needed through tubes to avoid the condensation issues. “We didn’t want to exchange the air every hour as this would take a lot of energy,” says Teich. “We want to minimise the air flow, the energy consumption and also optimise the machinery which is behind the CCF.

Image courtesy of New World Development Company Limited

“In general we have an East Facade and a West facade and they are controlled independently by two different systems and you want to minimise any permanent costs.” In Hong Kong, temperature fluctuations are small and gradual, whereas humidity levels can change rapidly. It was therefore decided to use the internal, conditioned air of the building for the CCF system, since this is humidity and temperature controlled with a high degree of predictability Numerical analyses were carried out, modelling the performance of the system over the course of a typical year. From this, the 62

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The opening To create the front entrance, a section of 11 tubes had to be cut and resupported by an S460, 1.4462 grade duplex stainless steel portal frame 80mm thick, 900mm deep and 4.6m tall. “The portal frame is an engineering feat in itself, it’s a beautiful piece of fabrication” says Eckersley O’Callaghan Senior Associate Franklin Lancaster. “The stainless steel sections are significant in size and not easy to weld. A careful balance had to be struck between the efficiency of the welding so as not to warp the stainless steel and satisfying the building control authority that it was safe. “It involved a great deal of high end fabrication including annealing the entire assembly to release the stresses in the welds and achieve a precise level of pre-camber.” Original designs had seen a much thinner top portal frame member, with a steel tube hidden in the floor depth above, spanning between and onto the two full tubes on either side of the frame. Hangers in the form of steel rods placed in the joints between the tubes attached to the top member of the portal frame would have controlled its deflection. However due to building control restrictions in place at the time, this design had to be changed.

risk of condensation occurring in the tubes was assessed for different air exchange speeds. For high speeds, there was consistently a large difference between cavity and dew point temperature, representing a high factor of safety against condensation. At low speeds, close or coincident cavity and dew point temperature showed a high risk of condensation occurring. At 100-200l/hour it was found that the two temperatures which sufficiently far apart, on a consistent basis, to alleviate any risk of condensation occurring. “We tested a median value of 120l/hour there you’ll see a more even distribution but there’s not a single count below 5 degrees temperature difference,” explains Teich. “So this gave us the confidence to set the airflow between 200 and 300l/hour with a safety level in the system.”

Installation To avoid dirt and dust getting into the system, the tubes had to be assembled in a clean room. The curved glass was shipped over from Spain and assembled in a specialist, purpose built facility in Hong Kong. Due to the tight radius of the glass, regular glass suckers could not be used, so a bespoke tool was developed by seele to lift the tubes. With limited access to certain areas of the perimeter, the tubes were lifted into onto a specially designed track system embedded into the shoe fittings at the base. The tubes were then moved around into areas with no or limited access.

About K11 MUSEA Hong Kong’s Silicon Valley of Culture, K11 MUSEA, is the latest cultural-retail destination in Victoria Dockside located on the harbourfront of Tsim Sha Tsui. Inspired by ‘A Muse by the Sea’, K11 MUSEA is designed to enrich new consumers’ daily lives through the power of creativity, culture and innovation. A destination 10 years in the making, K11 MUSEA opened its doors in August 2019 to usher in a new era of cultural retail which speaks to the growing consumer demand for immersive consumer experiences in art, culture, nature and commerce. Founder’s vision K11 Group was founded by entrepreneur Adrian Cheng in 2008 with a social mission to incubate creative talent and promote cultural dialogue. In creating K11 MUSEA - K11 Group’s most ambitious project to date - Cheng’s vision is to reinvigorate Hong Kong’s waterfront with 100 Creative Powers and make K11 MUSEA the Silicon Valley of Culture that will inspire global millennials, and facilitate a broader discussion on the interconnectedness of creativity, culture and innovation. By 2025, K11 Group will have gained a footprint of 36 projects (total GFA 2.84 million sqm) in ten cities across Greater China. History and 100 Creative Powers K11 MUSEA sits on the site formerly known as Holt’s Wharf, an important go-down in Tsim Sha Tsui that dates back to 1910. The historic logistics hub eventually made Hong Kong one of the busiest ports in the world. Paying tribute to its unique history and its position as the confluence of cultures, K11 MUSEA is committed to incubating the local cultural scene by allowing visitors access to world-class curation of year-round art and cultural programmes. The architecture of K11 MUSEA was led by Kohn Pedersen Fox architecture practice, James Corner Field Operations, and in collaboration with over 100 creatives including Rotterdam-based OMA, Hong Kong-based architecture studio LAAB, AB Concept and a diverse group of artists, craftsmen, designers and more.

With the installation of the tubes now complete, the area is now open to public. “Rarely does a client have the drive and vision to see a project of this ambitious nature through to the end, but they made it happen,” says Lancaster. “From the first rendering to the completed article they had the faith to realise this beautiful and truly unique facade.” intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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A hybrid faรงade inspired by Nature Design Foster + Partners

The Headquarters of the Russian Copper Company (RMK), Yekaterinburg 64

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The rendering didn’t promise too much (Rendering by Foster+Partners)

U29, the chemical symbol and atomic number of copper, or to be more precise the crystalline structure of the same, was the inspiration behind this façade designed by Foster + Partners. When approached by their design team in Summer 2014, Priedemann Facade Experts knew that there is a challenge of their calibre awaiting. After a thorough study of RMK’s work practices and expectations, Foster + Partners came up with a two-storey facade design, providing an atrium like communication zone between the floors. Out of the sophisticated office concept as well as the unique design of the building skin grew a challenge our teams never faced before, although it was not our first assignment in the Far East.

The crystalline building envelope looks light and allows plenty of daylight into the building but protects against too much sun. (Image by RMK/Schueco)

When we came onboard, a lot of parameters had already been set: two storey high façadeelements by 10 to 12 m in height and 6 m in width and the crystalline design. The existing 3D models already contained the exact inner and outer shape. All we would propose & design, be it the load bearing structure, the profile and system design, glazing and

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panelling plus structural and building physics had to fit into that shape. Furthermore, up to 12 profiles joined into one single point at the element edges and we had to ensure not to create any leakage, so we needed to deal with tenths of millimetres and, at the same time, paying attention to element weights of up to 12,000 kg.

The double decker office concept caused a double height façade grid (Rendering on the right by F+P)

To do so, we came up with a hybrid design, a steel tube structure bearing the load and accommodating the building tolerances in connection with slim, precisely extruded aluminium profiles to hold sealings and glazing. To put this idea to reality, we started setting up a parametric model from scratch. This enabled us to cut the structure virtually in any angle and direction to check the interfaces between the various parts and pieces. Later we enhanced the model to verify if all parts would be reachable during the manufacturing and assembly phase. But we quickly reached the boundaries of virtual design, leading to the next logical step; a 3D printed model to get a ‘real life’ corner. Now we were able to test how one could bring all together.

From a simple idea to a complex shape, first cardboard and 3D-printed working model (3D Model by Priedemann)

First sketch with a loadbearing steel core and slim aluminium profiles (concept sketch by Priedemann)

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Sustainability by using local sources Later on, a decision was made by the Russian client. He stipulated local resources and materials to be used instead of carrying what was already available half around the world.

The parametric model enabled us to check interfaces by cutting the profiles in any angle, left façade, right element knot (parametric model by Priedemann)

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As virtuality reached its boundaries, we just printed out the profiles in 3D for a first real assembling (by Priedemann)

From a sustainable perspective, there was no doubt about this requirement, but one feared about the design outcome, especially in regard to its complexity. That caused the suggestion to move as the appointed façade consultant from the planning to the execution side and switch from consultancy to engineering. By doing so and following the whole architectural design intent until it’s final completion, another benefit

occurred; while serving the façade contractor, the architect retained the option to change or adjust details whenever necessary. Now our words had to be proven by actions, we had to build what we designed. In a first step we had to familiarise ourselves with local glass and steel codes and standards, to learn about the local aluminium extrusion and above all to find out where the strength and weaknesses, opportunity and threats on the

fabricator side would be. That was essential to understand and support the appointed manufacturer to deliver not just a façade but a masterpiece. Therefore, we shouldered full responsibility for the entire engineering job from system design via shop- and fabrication drawings, test and visual mock up planning until the final hand over documents. Once the planning was completed down to the last screw, the next step was to cope with the logistic aspects. The elements were far too large and heavy to be fully assembled in the factory and the idea of a site hangar was born where the sections should be brought together. But how can one assure that the right pieces come in the right sequence to the right place? We looked to Sweden.... Right, that’s where we found our solution... How would IKEA do it? We prepared a manual following IKEA’s look & feel explaining step by step the sequence how to assemble each piece, one for the factory respective site hangar and a second for the installation.

The mega-sized mock ups in preparation for performance test (in Bielefeld by Schueco)

At first glance it looks like an aluminium frame but behind is a loadbearing steel structure (left by Schueco, right by fabricator Mobil)

Dealing with giant elements and extreme climate The element dead load and their sizes would have been enough of a challenge already; actually a single bracket was as heavy as standard elements somewhere else. The test mock up didn’t fit into the standard facilities, two racks had to be linked together and the roof to be lifted. Add to this -35°C in Yekaterinburg as we witnessed the visual mock up on site. For the building physics calculation, we had to consider temperature differences between -40° up to +35°C and a winter period which intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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Snapshot from the assembly manual showing the exact order in which each part fits the next (Manual by Priedemann)

The visual mock-up on site, 12 x 6 m, not visible is the temperature -35Â°C. (photo by Priedemann)

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can last up to 6 months. Consequently, a triple glazing was planned but also the thermal expansion of steel, aluminium and stainless steel had to be taken into account. Looking at an element height of 12 m and considering a 75°C temperature difference, aluminium can expand by 18 mm. That’s quite a lot considering that the sealing system should be functional in summer as well as winter timer. By taking over full responsibility, from detailed design all the way to the installation on site, along with using the latest digital 3D tools and not to forget a lot of teamwork with years of knowledge, we were able to deliver the desired result and successfully complete this project.

A remarkable building with a unique facade, a masterpiece! (Images by RMK/Schueco)

Andreas Beccard CCO & Business Development UK at Priedemann Facade Experts Andreas learned the carpentry trade and later studied interior design in Wismar and construction management in Augsburg. He worked as an architect in various offices and met Priedemann at HPP in 2001. Since then he is fascinated by facades and has not only managed many facade projects at Priedemann Facade Experts, but has also become part of the company’s management. From 2015 to 2017 he set up an Priedemann office in London to come closer to the company’s UK-and international clients. Andreas is responsible for the company`s content management and he loves to come on board in the early project stages as for concept design or architectural competitions.

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Standfirst

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FUTURE OFFICES: NATURE, COMMUNITY, RESILIENCE

uring the COVID19 pandemic, with hundreds of millions of global office workforce working from home, there was question if the office is still relevant? In the “Work from Home Survey 2020” by Gensler Research Institute, it was found that 70% respondents want to work in the office the majority of their week, 30% of people want a flexible work arrangement. It is evident the office is here to stay with most workers wanting to return to the office environment, however crucial changes are required.

In 2020, two flagship office building developments designed by Gensler in Singapore and Vietnam are completed on site. They are Capitaland 79 Robinson Road project (jointly developed with Mitsui & Co and Tokyo Tatemono Co.), Singapore, and Viettel Headquarters project, Vietnam. Both projects are located in one of the world’s most dynamic economic region, South East Asia. It was our ambition at the onset of the projects to deliver unique design solutions that not only fulfills the clients’ requirements but also engages the urban fabric, contribute to the community, truly sustainable and future proofed buildings. These design strategies serve well in adapting and aligning to the new post pandemic needs of the office space and its relationship to the environment.

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DESIGN STRATEGIES Future oﬃces are no longer just containers for the work force. It has to cater to greater demands of user experience, connection to nature and to the community. The pandemic has accelerated the transformation of the workplace. Capitaland 79 Robinson Road project is located in the heart of the dense, high rise and vibrant Singapore Central Business District. As part of Singapore’s upcoming Greater Southern Waterfront masterplan, just a step outside brings the tenants to a wide variety of lifestyle and business offerings. 79 Robinson Road project at 29 levels, 180m tall, has over 500,000 sq ft of Grade A Office Space, with each floor plates over 20,000sq ft in area. It boosts an average floor plate efficiency of 84%. Besides being a visually dynamic building it is built with sensitive detailing and high grade quality materials, based on innovative technology with sustainable features, having being awarded Singapore GreenMark Platinum certification. 79 Robinson Road project is designed from both outside in and inside out, through very rigorous design methodology and philosophies in accordance to the client’s project requirements and site challenges. It is conceived through a narrative design process where we took into consideration the user experience, from arrival to the building to entry into their office and their use of the varies amenities offered within the building. The client’s project brief required us to design for a high performance and highly efficient building, yet allowing for flexibility. The universal floor plan was designed through test fit of multiple workplace configurations and highly adaptable features catering to customized needs of the different tenants and users. Viettel Headquarters project is located in Hanoi, Cao Giay Ward 8, a new commercial district. It is adjacent to a tranquil urban park and lake. The project is 255,000sqft in total gross floor area. Besides offering of Grade A office workspace, it houses the company exhibition gallery, 250 seat auditorium, generous town hall space and outdoor relaxing landscaped terraces. The sustainable and biophilic design strategies is a basis for a productive and attractive workplace that aligns with the client corporate identity. The Viettel project went through similar rigorous design methodology, however with very different outcome, due to fundamental developments based on client requirement and 72

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Image Courtesy of Capitaland

contextual considerations. Gensler’s design of the Viettel new headquarter in Hanoi redefines how an office building supports effective and efficient operations of workplace and yet able to foster strong company culture. Innovation being the central focus founded on solid roots in the local Vietnamese market that is.

Arriving at 79 Robinson Road, one is fully sheltered under a landscaped covered drop-off which is underside of the lifted podium block. The design accentuates a deep overhang to provide excellent shade and cross ventilation, yet allowing adequate soft natural daylight to brighten up the space.

CONNECTION TO NATURE People are drawn to nature. Biophilic design brings about well-being and relaxation through direct and indirect engagements. Our buildings should incorporate natural and outdoor settings that foster creativity and innovation. This allow us to perform at our optimal either in group work or independently. Through blurring of inside and outside spaces, we could elevate wellness through visual and physical engagements. Understanding the benefits of biophilic design and through technology, indoors and outdoors landscape design strategies can be employed in the curation of the office environment.

Additionally, a series of continuous ground level open spaces and plazas makes for a comfortable walk by the public and the office users. Coming through a ring of green wall from the ground to level 2 one is welcomed by the view out to the city just before they turn around towards the main lobby space. Besides the ground level open spaces, the tenants can unwind outdoors and take a breather at the Sky Terrace or the roof garden, where a spectacular sea and city view awaits. Located on the 21st level, the Sky Terrace’s inspired settings are ideal for community and business events, networking sessions, casual discussions, wellness programmes.

On the Viettel project, besides client requirements the employee work environment and the building relationship to its surroundings are core design drivers. Natural daylight is abundant in the building, the building open floor plates with the ideal depth brings in natural light to all working areas. The set of skylights on the green roof draws natural daylight into the tips of the building, where shared amenity spaces and lobbies are located, connected to the roof terraces. We wanted to create an “open office”. This was achieved through the large floor plate offered, the workspaces, lobbies and public spaces that are accessible physically by lifts, stairs, escalators or visually connected throughout the building. The roof terraces offer the users unique spaces for relaxation, place for informal gatherings, discussions, chanced meetings, alternative office setting and lunch area. The roofscape, the fifth elevation, has sustainable features as rainwater harvesting system at the sloped green roof. The lush roof landscape improves

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the micro-climate for lower cooling load. Native plants are selected and planted for a more resilient ecosystem with less maintenance and at the same time creates a sense of familiarity and affinity to its users. COMMUNITY CATALYST The office building of the future should be an essential part of its community externally and internally. Projects that create public space often are the most engaged with the community and can offer unique and important amenities to the area. The most relevant buildings will build community and act as a catalyst for connections. When office buildings give back space at the ground plane to the community, they also help to evolve the model of the polycentric city. Within the building the new office space builds communities within an organization, reinforces culture, fosters relationship amongst the users.

the community. This ground level also boosts retail and F&B opportunities.

79 Robinson Road project is designed with convenience in mind, the development boasts a sheltered car drop-off point, with direct underground passage to mass rapid transit station, cyclist-friendly end-of-trip facilities and activated public spaces for unrivalled user experience. By raising the lobby to the 2nd level, the design creates a permeable ground level for enhanced activity and accessibility for

Inspired by some of the world’s most exclusive hotels, the office lobby on level two is designed with comfort in mind through bringing together of exquisite detailing and sensitive selection of materials. This main lobby is a private extension of the building ground level plaza. With secured access this main lobby host a series of work and social spaces such as a premium lounge area, co working space,

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quiet working spaces and intimate meeting areas that redefine the office lobby as a focal point for interaction with business partners and colleagues. An expansive sky village boasting an enlarged double-volume atrium is located on level 27 and 28 of the project. Curated for the exclusive use of a single occupier, the tenant can make a statement with a feature reception or fabricate a business community hub within the dramatic space. The high level atrium allows the staff

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greater visual connectivity between levels and presents the guests with dramatic sea views as the elevator doors open. The development is an extension of the adjacent urban park and lake. The landscape and greenery wrapping around the architecture extends onto its roof. It is soft landscape replacement strategy to the original greenery on the site. Internally the building promotes a series of collaborative working environment by physically connecting the maximum number of Viettel employees through a series of interconnected floor plates and communal outdoor terrace spaces for social interaction. This high-energy environment fostered through the network of open plan and connective spaces is configured within the optimized oval geometry. The ease of physical connection is enhanced by the staircases and escalators which also acts as incidental places for spontaneous interaction and chanced meetings. IMPACT INVESTMENTS Investments into a development has to bring about positive returns in the form of experience, finances, operational efficiency and wellness. The building design strategies with positive environmental and personal impacts so often help save signiﬁcant amount in operational costs and gain market value for tenants seeking sustainable assets. 79 Robinson Road project’s striking façade design is an abstraction of an algorithm of binary codes. The dynamic effect is achieved by introducing different panel sizes with varying degrees of articulation across each floor, as well as the changing tilt angles of the glass panels in relation to their sizes. The facade design, through the angled panels, has performance of 12-15% reduction in solar heat gain. The tilt of the facade panels provides clear non reflective view out to the city and the sea. It enhanced wind engineering performance. Although the façade panels are static, the pixelated patterns creates an illusion of movement as the sun angle changes throughout the day and as ones viewing angle changes when approaching the building.

landscaping and greenery. Its horizontal louvered façade has a seamless effect that complements the monolithic building massing. Besides aesthetics the aluminum horizontal shading devices at the full-height, together with the high performance double glazed façade, effectively reduces solar heat gain. This drastically reduces energy consumption needed to cool the interior. Through investigative design we ensured the effects of the shading device in affecting the user experience is minimize, through allowing maximum daylight into the open plan office spaces and allowing the users maximized view out of the building into the park and lake in the adjacent plot. Its sustainable and biophilic design features explicitly expressed on its exterior is a beacon of optimism and progress of the company, the society and the country, past, present and future.

Office buildings of the future have to offer space to socialize, to connect within the organizations, to foster communities and allow for personal connection to nature. It has to be resilient and flexible adapting to the changing technological, cultural, environmental and biological challenges and shifts.

EeTiong LIM, Studio Director, Gensler EeTiong Lim, a UK registered architect, has twenty years architectural design experience in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. He is currently serving as chair of RIBA Singapore Chapter. He is passionate in design and contributes actively to the professional, academic and community fields involved in the built environment. He possess deep knowledge of large scale architecture and master planning design projects with experience in Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific. He specializes in design and delivery of mixed use, hospitality, office, transit oriented development projects with complex design, programming and management challenges.

The Viettel building, a ground scraper, appears to be emerging from the ground with large parts of its inclined roof surface covered in intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

Coming in December…

IGS WINTER 2020 GLASS SUPPER SPECIAL EDITION

EUROPE

“As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past for a future which is essentially unknown” - Norman Foster 76

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CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

IGS Magazine returns home after our round the world expedition in 2020 to bring readers expert thought-leadership from glass, engineering and architectural visionaries in Europe. Coinciding with the much-anticipated Glass Supper Virtual Experience, readers will gain foresight into intelligent technologies and cutting-edge transparent structures that are not only altering the trajectories of cityscapes in the region, but the boundaries of our imagination. Exclusive Interviews and project case studies from glass protagonists championing innovation for a sustainable future…

This is IGS – Nothing more, nothing less…NOTHING ELSE intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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Prof. Soo K. Chan

Double Vison: Culture, Context and Climate 78

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Prof. Jimmy IGS Magazine’s Lewis Wilson travels to Singapore and Malaysia in these candid interviews with two of Asia’s most acclaimed architects intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

Edition Sanya Hotel Lobby. Courtesy of SCDA Architects

rom the tundra of the Antarctic to islands off the coast of Malaysia, architecture that puts sustainability at the forefront of its design is becoming more and more prominent. Visionaries have emerged who are pushing the boundaries of sustainable design, providing blueprints that can be adopted globally to ensure that architecture not only lasts, but improves the prospects of future generations. In this exclusive double interview, IGS magazine talks to two such architects, Prof. Jimmy and Soo.K Chan, whose practices in Malaysia and Singapore are embracing the philosophy of social and environmental sensitive and contextual design. We discover 80

the idiosyncrasies of their practices and delve into national architectural identity while exploring themes of sustainability, technology and of course…glass! IGS: What influence did studying architecture and your early work in the US (Soo. K Chan) and Australia (Prof. Jimmy) have on your architectural philosophy and design ideals? Soo: My education in the United States in the 1980’s coincided with a time when architectural “isms” were in abundance. My liberal arts education at the Washington University in St Louis afforded me an introduction to late 19th

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and early 20th century masters such as Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann and Otto Wagner, to name a few; whose outlook on universal design has certainly resonated with the holistic, multidisciplinary work that SCDA does today, while grounding our work with a mindfulness of care, detail and craft. The remaining years in St Louis and subsequent graduate architectural studies at Yale University further exposed me to a great many influences, not the least of which were le Corbusier, (Karl Friedrich) Schinkel, Mies Van Der Rohe, Labrouste, Venturi, and Rob Krier – to name just a few. My professional work for several practices in the US certainly inculcated both a

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

sense of the classically inclined thinking – that of axes, symmetries, and procession – with a regionalist modernism that pervaded much of architecture in the late 80’s to early 90’s. I certainly absorbed a great deal from these architects, some of whom I consider playing a mentorship role – and to this day I still think that it is inspiration and exceptional mentorship that remain the bridge between idealism and the realities of pragmatism in practice. Looking back, this amalgamation of high modernism, grounded by a certain classical way of thinking, has certainly affected the way I think about space. Jimmy: I left Penang, my hometown in December 1959 to Singapore to catch the P&O Iberia steamship to Sydney New South Wales, Australia to complete my secondary schooling with the aim of studying architecture in Sydney. I entered University of New South Wales School of Architecture in 1964, whose Dean of Faculty was Professor Ingham Ashworth who had just joined from Sydney University. He had been a member of the Jury which selected Jorn Utzon’s design as the winner for the Sydney Opera House competition. Coming from the recently decolonised Malaya, I was a ‘babe in the woods’, so to speak when it comes to architecture. Australian architectural education 1960 was still in the early days of the Bauhaus movement. Internationally, there were then only three great masters; Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe; and historian Sir Banister Fletcher’s comparative analysis of European History giving you a global perspective of architecture; Asian architecture did not exist. The closest one could relate to Asian architecture was in Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. The ‘Sydney School’ was led by Bruce Rickard, Harry Howard, Neville Gruzman, Bill Lucas, Andrew Young, Peter Duffield, Ken Wooley, Peter Kohler and a few others; whilst the opposite camp was led by Harry Siedler, Robin Boyd and overshadowing this crowd of course was Jorn Utzon who was designing the Sydney Opera House. Absorbing the Australian spirit of being ‘fairdinkum’ after four years in boarding school had prepared me to understand the Australian psychic. Truth, honesty, integrity; calling a spade a spade was the way architecture was taught as compared to today.

Conservation Addition Singapore Art Museum Courtesy of SCDA Architects

Ocean Pool Villa Soori Bali Courtesy of SCDA Architects

Until today, I still hold hard onto memories that I had marched in the streets of Sydney in support of Jorn Utzon, holding a placard, saying ‘Utzon In Charge’ when he resigned in disagreement with the Minister of Works. Sticking to one’s belief and upholding one’s professionalism became a hallmark of what influence my approach to architecture. On the design front, my pragmatic approach to fulfilling the clients’ needs and requirements… that architecture is about people was singularly influenced by my design tutor Professor George Molnar; not only was he a great teacher, he was also a renowned political

cartoonist who produced satirical, political cartoons for the Sydney Morning Herald weekly. How to relate Tropical Rainforest to any design philosophy from my Australian education? Towards the end of 1972, after being seduced by an attractive advertisement to join the design team for the new NUS campus in Kent Ridge, Singapore, discovered that NUS precluded only expats in their advertisement; mere Malaysian mortals were regarded as ‘recruitment across the causeway’. Rejecting their offer, I bade farewell to Australia to seek greener pastures in Kuala Lumpur leading to the search of Tropical Architecture and the Rites of the Tropics.

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IGS: Could you highlight the uniqueness and any idiosyncrasies of your practice’s architecture? Soo: It is difficult to put a label on anything, but at SCDA, our concern primarily surrounds the design of holistic spatial experiences. Our work constantly strives for tranquility and calmness, qualified by space, light and structural order, where architectural expression is distilled to capture the essence of place. Our practice is also unique as we are international; the diversity of individuals in terms of background and experiences each of our four offices speaks for itself, and our work spans across 6 continents and 80 different cities.

cultures, religions and heritage, at the same time united by a common sensibility of what it is to be Singaporean – something not so simple to commit to the written word. We are, in this sense, at once a global and hyper local. Architecturally, this manifests itself as a mix of expressions, a result of parameters that are both cultural and contextual. Architecture has to respond and adapt to the immediate needs of shelter – in the case of Singapore, the hot, wet and humid tropical climate, combined with vernacular references has over the years resulted in a style that I coined as ‘Neo-tropical’ – which often aims to blur the lines between inside and

When I say that we design holistically, what I mean is that the architecture, interiors, landscape, and objects in our work is integrated seamlessly. Our practice is inspired by the cultural and climatic nuances of context, with a conscious endeavor to examine, articulate and at times blur the boundary between interior and exterior. In our work we constantly strive to achieve elegance, through the constant pursuit of refinement. Jimmy: Understanding my own Environment, appreciating the uniqueness of the Tropical Rainforest that forced and inspired me to dictate ‘The Rites of the Tropics’....a serious look into an understanding of where we are or how we need to respond to our uniqueness and as you put it - idiosyncrasies. Lots of our idiosyncrasies are often viewed by the Western eyes as ‘oriental-oddities’, not worthy of serious intellectual pursuits. We have been practising these oddities ever since I started my practice in 1978. In this respect, our work has never been about styles; we try to be honest with our needs, our environment and our climate, allowing our Malaysian-ness to come through...this is where the Australian “far-dinkum” spirit is celebrated. This I suppose answers your question on how my education had influenced me. Is there, in your opinion, a definitive concept of Singaporean (Soo. K Chan) and Malaysian (Prof. Jimmy) architecture? Soo: I think that design in this sense, as a means of self-expression, stems from a sense of identity. However, given Singapore’s short history, and openness to international influences, the answer is not a simple one. We are a multi-cultural nation, a melting pot of 82

Mattel Mixed Use Development Shenzhen Courtesy of SCDA Architects

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outside of a building, often borrowing from vernacular vocabularies to include courtyards and verandahs. Jimmy: Absolutely, we have. The East India Company landed in Penang in 1786 after the Malay Sultan of Kedah ceded it to Francis Light. Until 1950, there were 5013 houses and buildings in the business district with possibly another similar amount in the outskirts of the district. Throughout the length and breadth of Peninsular Malaysia, there were many styles of vernacular architecture on stilts. The Chinese migrants who had been in the Malay Peninsular, even before the colonisation by the

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

juxtapositioning with lots of nonsensical descriptive verbalisation? Our architectural journey cannot start from no where. Knowing our source of reference as well as identity makes it easy for us to ‘conceptioneer’ our future…..Today was Yesterday’s Tomorrow, as Today will be Tomorrow’s Yesterday. This is a recurring reminder. Where do we go forth…..’quo vadis’? IGS: Taking into account the local environment, climate and context into which projects are built in Singapore (Soo. K Chan) and Malaysia (Prof. Jimmy) – what challenges do these factors pose when designing and constructing a project? Soo: In Singapore we have to take into account the tropical monsoons we face on an almost daily basis, as well as the persistent hot weather – factors that drive our design in the Singaporean context. Of course, this comes with several challenges while building in an equatorial climate that involve providing comfortable spaces within a climate which can sometimes be stiflingly hot and/or uncompromisingly wet – but we use these conditions as an opportunity to create shelters that provide for shade and cross ventilation which seek to increase comfort, encourage natural cooling, and minimize solar gain.

Lalu Nanjing Mixed Use Development Courtesy of SCDA Architects

British in 1786 had built many Tropicalised Chinese Vernacular Architecture in the form of temples and clan houses. Therefore, it is for our own survival to understand where and whence we came from in order to strive forward with our contemporary architecture expression. In formulating ‘imagineering’ and ‘conceptioneering’ local architecture, it may appear as oddities as what I’ve described for the unfamiliar eyes. Therefore, does the unfamiliar suffer because the untrained Euro-centric eye cannot understand the value system and the tendency to write it off as a ‘passing flash’? This lies the problem, of having your own concept - do we stand firm in what we believe in or succumb and be seduced by the simple lines of modernity, spatial monotony, pseudo elegance,

The tropics, given its fairly consistent climate and lack of four seasons, also provides us with an opportunity to blend architecture, landscape and interiors into houses and buildings that resist any one categorization. By using different architectural means of articulating the ‘buffer zone’ or boundary between inside and out, we are able to bring the exterior landscape into the interior, and vice versa. Jimmy: Initially learning how to reconcile what you have been taught and learned overseas into the local context and environment. The construction industry was dominated generally by self-taught Chinese builders. Many had imported their crafts and knowledge whilst others had learned it locally. It was a challenge getting many builders to read and understand working drawings prepared in English, modifying one’s approach towards working drawings and construction details was essential…..a case of being flexible.

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Soori High Line New York Courtesy of SCDA Architects

Applying street-wise knowledge for survival sees you through another day. The different culture, construction techniques, balancing between knowledge acquired overseas with local application and local manifestation. Construction techniques and contractual arrangements were basic and primitive. Trying to apply value system from overseas has many pitfalls. Despite concrete being universally used in the early days, concrete technology was unheard of. Getting the contractors for example to create off the form of concrete finishes was impossible. Care in preparing a wetness in concrete, fulfilling the required compressive strength of concrete was difficult. Producing unblemished concrete surfaces without honeycombing was almost impossibleâ&#x20AC;Ś.. hence, the desire to produce modernist elegant lines were of impossibility. Therefore, we have to craft our design to meet with the skills of the local craftsmen. An important aspect is relearning as well as reapplying knowledge acquired overseas into local situation. All overseas-trained professionals are faced with this problem. Do you just import wholesale everything youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

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learned and regurgitating it back home as the second phase of your globalisation? The first phase was your leaving your country to acquire knowledge. Returning home to apply is the second stage. We have been educated in the Western temperate zones where architecture needs to reflect the four seasons. In the Tropics, we only have two. One is ‘hot and wet’ while the other is ‘hot-wet and more wet’. How do you deal with this? No one in the Tropics had written any reference books! The closest to any Tropical book were those written in the 1950s by Jane Drew and Maxwell Fryer based on their experience living on the plateau of Nairobi. High altitude Tropics is a world apart from low line hot-wet tropical Malaysia. Designing for the hot wet and more wet low line areas require much thought and sensibilities. To be ecologically sustainable, to induce passive cooling without the dread of air-condition and crafting our work became preoccupation. Introducing the Green Building Index (GBI), LEED certification and other wannabees are doing architecture a great disfavour. Too many architects are jumping onto the bandwagon without realising the impact they are causing

the environment. We are conservatively pursuing and preserving our ecological philosophy of pushing for passive solutions towards sustainability. In this respect, glass intelligently used becomes a very important component contributing towards passive cooling for comfort. From our experimentation, we’ve discovered that using glass on the roof, not only allow light to come through but it induces hot air to explode outwards, and in so doing it causes an internal air movement…air circulation, ventilation, convection…!! IGS: What is your approach to the design process of a new project? Is there a methodic organization in your work flow and steps you follow from conception to realization of a project? Soo: Each project involves several individuals in our studio, each with their own area of expertise. The irony is that every project coming out of our studio needs to look like it was designed by one entity. One needs to consolidate his/her understanding of how to put a building together because as a design principal you will need to be able to convey Soori High Line New York Penthouse Courtesy of SCDA Architects

that to all your associates and architects. The first 10 or so years of SCDA was just us trying to build that foundation, so that everyone is able to work in tandem to realize the same vision. I’d like to believe that the more you build as a team, the easier it gets. Every project starts with consideration for program, site and context; we then overlay these inherent site constraints with our own design methodology, considering spaces, volumes and the relationship between the inside and outside. But even more so, every project is a reiteration and reconfirmation of what we’ve done thus far; and a little dose of invention and innovation. By doing this, we are able to move our entire studio forward, albeit slowly, but the advantage is that everybody grows together. A design language develops over time, by building, by trial and error, until you reach a moment where you understand that a certain synthesis of ideas and methodologies have coalesced into a coherent whole. And then, you try to bring that understanding to the rest of your studio. After some time, this sense of a design language becomes more stable within the studio, and you are able to design more freely, designs seem to materialize, at least for me being the principal, much more naturally. However - to be holistic, you cannot just be an architect. So at SCDA, we are architects, we are urban designers, we are interior designers and landscape architects. We are constantly looking at the components of design as broken down into volume, line, and plane; and space has to be informed by light, sound, materiality, and most of all by clarity of structure – one great lesson that classical architecture has taught me is that structure and rigor can delight. Jimmy: Is there a methodic organization in your work flow and steps you follow from conception to realization of a project? In crafting a new project, the whole organization team remembers the most important element of architecture are people. Knowing the needs, the functions, aspirations, and ultimate celebration of the intent of the project rules. Getting a set of requirements from the client is most important prior to venturing into any design. Coming out with a design which may be irrelevant has to be the simplest and an idiotic exercise any architect can pursue. When dealing with the clients who are the end users and the investors, the most important thing for them is the ROI (return on investment). Taking them down through the

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numbers and the returns assures them that all is well at that point in time. There are to leave the design approach and decision-making with us whereas they will take charge and control of the financial aspects. In this respect, we ensure that the design solution is what the client has in mind, we have to humble ourselves; not unlike when you prostrate in humility you may see the light that guide you through the design. We always approach our design from the standpoint of the “Architecture of Humility” to be then followed by applying the “Tai-Chi of Architecture”. It is a very Malayan-Chinese approach. In applying the ‘Tai-Chi of Architecture’, we do not use our energy - ‘Chi’, to overcome any opposition to produce a solution. It is always using the ‘Chi’ of the opponent to direct it towards our advantage. It should not be like a Sumo wrestling where there are two gargantuan mass of humanity charging at each other with zero benefit either way. As architect, we believe in channeling the charging energy towards our desired direction. I was the last generation of Malayan youngsters sent overseas for our further education during the time when there were no telecommunication between Malaya and Australia. The SEACOM

Leisure Farm Villa Courtesy of CSL Associates

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IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

Leisure Farm Villa Courtesy of CSL Associates

Salinger’s House Courtesy of CSL Associates

underwater cable between and the Asian land mass had not been laid. The fastest communication was by telegram and it was very expensive. The standard telegram between father and son to replenish funds goes like this, “No mon no fund your son” , eliciting this reply “Too bad so sad your dad”. Australian attitude towards the environment was still undeveloped….there was a saying among environmental NGOs critical of the authorities “If it moves, shoot it! If it doesn’t, chop it down!” Then, among the Local Councils in Sydney, there was once a Councillor was quoted defending his Council chopping trees - “Shady trees shade shady characters!” From the above, it illustrates how easy it would have been for a ChineseMalayan student to be led astray in Australia and come back to Malaysia to do all the wrong things…..like deforestation and making a lots of money! A principle held close to our chest in our work flow is observing these three core values:A sense of Responsibility; A sense of Urgency; A sense of Diligence. IGS: To what extent are you influenced by current or indeed past trends in architecture? What are the present trends and how, in your opinion, does the future look?

Soo: I have been interested in the different thought processes, which have surfaced within the last 30 years. Today happens to be a time where there are a great many architectural ideologies coexisting all at once. We are in an era of what you could call globalized architecture, but for architecture – as a profession, or as built legacies of people – to make a difference in the future, it needs to address the most pressing issues in our world at the moment; like climate change and the consideration of the environment; like civil inequalities and the outbreak of pandemics like what we are facing now. Architecture does not have full agency to be able to solve all these problems, but architects can make a difference by putting their foot down on the right side of the fence. This is the responsibility of architects who have the benefit of being highly-visible in today’s media-rich society, to be able to spread messages and increase awareness of what our real priorities are in the world today, as human beings. I’ve always believed that there is a certain universality to a good language of architecture. One that is based on humanity, rather than just formal expression; one that is based on the human spirit. So for us, we tend to look less at trends, but more at ourselves, and how we can improve. Our outlook for the future remains to create in the same vein, and to strive for innovation in the same spirit. Jimmy: What are the present trends and how, in your opinion, does the future look? I reject trends! Architecture is not about trends, it is

about people; and the needs of the people. An iconic manifestation resulting from fulfilling the needs of the people, protecting the environment may be justifiable. It’s an expression of what’s inside indeed, it’s ‘form follows function’. Sadly, many projects starts with a trendy iconic image then shove the requirements in. Trends are like ‘fast’-fashion on women. Trend-setting is all about making money….commercialism. One product sells to hundreds of buyers…. Mediocrity rules; exclusiveness means nothing. Wallowing in mediocrity is passed off as branded product. Crudity passed off as ‘refined’. Poor taste passed off as ‘elegant’. In pursue of commercialism, a recent reclamation project in my hometown, Penang many big names, trendy-fendy, hipster, cool superstar, starchitects and designers participated. The result was a revised version of Disneyland in Penang…pathetic!!! Shouldn’t a self-respecting architect refrain from directly contributing to the devastation and destruction of the natural environment, the natural habitat of marine life form, a project affecting hundreds of fishermen whose fishing grounds would be inflicted by this monstrosity? Surely there is a morality in the profession of architecture. Not for pursue of commercial success of the detriment of humanity and environment. Talking is cheap, actions are difficult. Hence, is trending part of prostitution? Trends tend to pre-date a beautiful woman. The female form of a woman has to be the endless beauty. Without trappings of fashion reflecting her era but in her naked splendour, ‘SHE’ is timelessly beautiful. Good architecture is timeless - Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is timeless! With the IT and AI taking over the future is not bright. Designers cannot inspire, create or aspire greatness.

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

Creativity is out; Plagiarism is in. Individuality frowned upon but commonality rules. Sad...is it not?

Pacific Bank Courtesy of CSL Associates

IGS: As we all know, we’re in the era of the ‘iconic building’ and the ‘starchitect’. However facile this might be, the designs of public institutions are often offered to the biggest names, and the most ‘iconic’ architects. How do you feel about this trend, and how do you work in a system like this and continue to create thoughtful, meaningful architecture, when so many developers are looking for ‘the next Bilbao’? Soo: It all depends. There are sites that are appropriate to iconic buildings, and other sites that should have more utilitarian buildings that help to shape the urban fabric, a case in point when one considers some older architectural references which do not immediately seek agency in iconicity. Jimmy: Most ‘iconic buildings’ are displaying current trends is a passing fad. Fashion forgets that:- “Today was Yesterday’s Tomorrow; as Today will be Tomorrow’s Yesterday”. In focusing on ‘iconic buildngs’ the patron and the architect forgets about the most ingredient in architecture, i.e; the People. ‘Iconic buildings’ are to satisfy the ego-trip of its owners…..not unlike Gail Wynand in The Fountainhead where he commissioned Howard Roark to design the tallest building in New York to Roark’s ‘minds eye perfection’. Every global city today is crying out for an iconic structure to celebrate its identity. Does an iconic edifice really provide that answer? Surely besides people, culture, environment, heritage, the identity and uniqueness of a city is more than just an iconic building. After all, “Architecture is about People; People are about Life; Life is about Living; Living is about looking and feeling good to enjoy all that nature has given us. Architecture is about making people feel good, look good and most of all to enjoy what you create”. What has Iconic architecture got to do with People? They usually forget about People. The moment architects forget about people, iconic buildings will tend to be soulless. There is a time for iconic edifice, but not iconic buildings all the time. IGS: AI, robotics, the IoT and digital transformation are all disruptive technologies. There is a danger that if we all use the same design engines, the same 88

Pacific Bank Courtesy of CSL Associates

drivers, buildings will become same old, same old, thereby stifling the talent of the individual. What are your thoughts on this? How do you maintain your differential?

have a robot produce a sketch – but nothing beats the lyrical stroke of a designer when he wields a pen to paper. So to me the idea that technology will eventually drive design into the ground does not hold any merit.

Soo: I firmly believe that technology exists at the service of artistic vision. In this regard, technology cannot replace education, knowledge of architectural history, on site experience, and an innately human sensitivity to culture and place. Technology can tell you the R value of a piece of glass, but it cannot tell you what best way to marry this with metal, in order to delight the senses. After some considerable coding and programming, you could possibly

Instead, technology could be seen as an enabler. Technology has given much to the architectural profession over the years – the development of reinforced concrete gave le Corbusier a malleable material with which to construct the framework for a brave new modernist world. Mies used the steel and glass industry to create masterpieces that architects still worship and strive for to this very day. It would be sacrosanct to suggest that technology had achieved all of

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

this for mankind without the enlightened minds that gave birth to these buildings. At SCDA, we leverage advancement in materials and construction systems to our advantage, to realize objects, buildings, and things that we want to achieve. Proportions play a huge role in a lot of our work – how thin can we make this profile? How far can we make this canopy cantilever, so that it appears to float off the ground? How tall and seamless can we make a space, such that it can lift the human spirit? As a very recent example, we utilized thirteen meter tall, triple-laminated tinted glass panels as structural stiffeners, paired with thirteen meter tall low-e, low-iron glass vision panels in our design for the addition to the Singapore Art Museum. Tilted at various angles and nested along a graceful curve that was first sketched by my own hand, the addition is a singular object that literally reflects facets of the old museum building, while launching the museum into the future. (358) Jimmy: How do you maintain your differential? St. Michael’s Church Courtesy of CSL Associates

Schnyder’s House Courtesy of CSL Associates

As the Gold Medal Recipient 2019 conferred by the Malaysian Institute of Architects, I was invited to be a Jury Member for the PAM (Malaysian Institute of Architects) Student’s Awards, an experience which confirmed your statement about ‘disruptive technologies’, ‘danger’, ‘same design engines’ and ‘same old, same old’ end product with no expression of individuality and talent. Total disregard for people was a hallmark of most of their design. However, due to smart software they were able to introduce lots of human figures in their presentation without understanding the context, the local culture, the environment, climate, functionality, appropriateness, etc. Over emphasis on the ability of clever software to produce pretty drawings and fanciful structures, predominated. How the building is to be put together and constructed are no longer in the vocabulary of the architects and the students. These are not being taught. Leave it to the structural engineers!? I studied architecture under the shadows of the Sydney Opera House being constructed. The precast concrete structural shells were not conceived by Ove Arup but by Jorn Utzon himself. Architects’

talent must prevail. Following the construction of the Sydney Opera House was liken to an on-site experience for us. An experience not to be forgotten. Therefore, ‘AI, robotics and IoT’ are all disruptive technologies will be self-defeating and architectural students must be made aware of this. Absolutely correct! IoT has already dominated architectural designs. Architects and architecture students extract ideas from Google. Plagiarism is in; creativity is out. Interestingly, in Chinese, a computer is referred to as “diànnǎo” literally translated, it is “electric brain”. Therefore, without electricity, the “electric brain” cannot function. What a horrible thought! Many architects’ have their brains usurped by the computer…..surrendered intellectually to the IoT. Hence, the death of creativity and talent. Not deviating from our philosophy of ‘Humility of Architecture’ to be followed by the ‘Tai-Chi of Architecture’, not forgetting that Architecture is about People, and People are symbiotically related to the Environment. It is an organic relationship reflected in the Chinese Yin and Yang of Harmonic Balance. IGS: Considering current issues such as climate change and environmental degradation, do you believe architects have a responsibility to actively engage and contribute positively to a sustainable future? If so, how? Soo: Yes, we believe in environmental and cultural sustainability and we’ve been working in this space consistently. Soori Bali, a resort which I own and run in Bali, Indonesia, is inspired by its location and natural beauty. In its design and operation, we felt compelled to be true to the authenticity of the place, people and culture of Bali. More importantly, we acknowledge what is already there – Kelating village where the resort resides, the native landscape, locally available materials and ingredients, and the authentic charm of the Balinese people. It is a lesson in how to use the resources readily available to us to create something that will sustain, nourish and fortify what is already there, not only in the sense of the environment and the climate, but also in support of local communities. Soori Bali transforms the beauty of the sea, mountains and rice fields of Bali into a world class resort with a conscience. At this moment, SCDA LAB is also prototyping tiny dwellings of 15 square metres each, which aim to be completely off-grid and self-

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

are ultimately in the driver’s seat with regards to making these decisions, from day one, about what our buildings should be from the inside out. Education and unlearning old habits will play a huge part towards how the built world will contribute positively to a sustainable future. Jimmy: If so, how? Absolutely! By designing buildings using materials that are sustainable to enhance the quality of the interiors. Architects must lead in the design. The clients the patrons are the people commissioning the architects. Most of the time, they are quite clueless as to what they want, except something in their mind’s eye and a budgetry control. Pushing in the direction of sustainable architecture reflecting climate and the tropics which unlike the temperate zones where you have four seasons, we only have two. There are no role models for architects in the tropics and often ideas are rejected by clients because they never saw it in ‘Rodeo Drive’ or ‘Sunset Boulevard’. So, in order to convince them that some of our ideas towards climate change and sustainability, we decided to set up our Research & Development as a test bed for all our new ideas. My own house had been used since 1979 and still ongoing - currently experimenting with ‘architecture without walls’.

sustaining. The vision for these Tenda cabins is holistic, and reaches beyond design. The self-sufficient cabins represent an attitude towards community-building while in harmony with nature; just as we must hold each other accountable in our quest for what we call ‘sustainability’, the grouping and configuration of cabins to create communal space is just as important as the architecture of each cabin. In parallel, SCDA is also actively working with US environmental group, Parley for the Oceans, to design an ocean research center in the Maldives, where we can apply such concepts of material research and off-grid living, with workshops and material research, while raising awareness for the beauty and fragility of Earth and its oceans. 90

Gone are the days that climate change and so called ‘sustainability’ were bandied about the architectural set as unattractive and unsexy concepts – in reality, all of this can and must be done. You bring up technological advancements which are a case in point – these have allowed us to make “sustainability”, in its many forms, a baseline deliverable in many of our projects worldwide. Architecture makes up for a large fraction of construction worldwide, and with better know-how and a conscience for the earth, a sustainable future in this sector is certainly possible. However, one must point out that the real agency today lies not solely with architects – but with architectural patrons – our clients, who

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

With these experiments, the adoption of new ideas became easier for most clients. It is a small contribution on our part in pushing the frontier of sustainability by making 1:1 scaled samples of our ideas. It saves a lot of time and miscommunication leading to rejections. In our environment where pioneering spirit and aspirations are not sophisticated, acceptance of untried ideas often intimidate them. Copycat syndrome has a wide following. Many clients after every trip from overseas would come back with some ideas that they’ve picked up and wish to implement them in their projects. This of course was pre-internet days. This is our current preoccupation; trying to transform a reinforced structural concrete church into a celebration of light and space. This current structure is exciting as a hall built for three badminton courts that our suggestion to convert an otherwise total reinforced concrete structure to a concrete timber hybrid structure excited the Archdiocese as they are located in the tropical rainforest environment. Their lack of exposure to timber construction has impeded their decision-making. We are nevertheless trying to push this agenda through. Therefore, can you imagine a well-ventilated church in the

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

Research Development Courtesy of CSL Associates

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

Sacred Heart Cathedral Courtesy of CSL Associates

tropics designed using lots of structural timber being lit by sunlight penetrating through glass roofs. The interiors would be a celebration of mysticism of light and shadows in one single burst. Gone would be the dark, stuffy, humid interiors of a church. In exemplifying and contributing towards a sustainable future, we have a building which was constructed in 1878, originally as a residence of a Siamese lady in Penang, later to become the home of the black and white ‘Ah Ma(s)’ from Tong Koon District of China; a hotel and finally the first air-conditioned supermarket in Georgetown, Penang. It caught fire and burnt to the ground in 1984. All the timber floors, roof and columns were destroyed leaving only the brick loadbearing peripheral walls minus the attached brick piers and some internal standalone brick columns. The Local Authorities immediately issued a demolition order for the remaining structures to be removed. We appealed for whatever that’s remaining to be left alone as it was our intention to rebuild and restore the building to as close to its former beauty. Reason being, it fitted into the heritage fabric of the urbanscape of Georgetown. Allowing a contemporary reinforced concrete structure popular and prevalent then to be replace the burnt down heritage building would be wrong and irresponsible. It was a long and arduous exercise in retaining the heritage which contributed towards the heritage city’s sustainable future; which proved to be mitigated when in 2008, Georgetown, Penang was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the state of Malacca. Getting the approval from the Penang Municipal Council to approve the rebuilding took 14 years. This structure retained the uninterrupted facade of 100 Cintra Street alongside other row of shophouses. During the rebuilding, the local netizens were baffled as to why the painstaking exercise of restoring it. 92

Sacred Heart Cathedral Courtesy of CSL Associates

Old recycled bricks, structural timber and other timber components were sourced to replace those that were burnt, many came from other buildings that were demolished. When the old building was converted to be an air-conditioned supermarket, many of the structural attached brick piers were removed and window apertures were filled with brickwork and plastered over. These attached piers had to be restored by keying the brickwork and using steel clamps to hold fast to create a stable, integrated brickwork. This sustainable exercise contributes towards maintaining the historic urban fabric of the heritage city. IGS: What are your thoughts on glass as a structural material? Does glass perform enough functions to satisfy your creative mind? Or is there something you would like glass to do that it currently does not do...to your knowledge? Soo: Glass can certainly be used as a structural material, and offers great merits by means of its performative and aesthetic properties. The play of light on glass, in reflections, refractions, and varying levels of transparencies – these are some of the great characteristics of this material. When paired with structural integrity, this eliminates the need for additional materials within the architectural composition. One need not be reminded of the Miesian motto of ‘Less is More’, that is, one of arranging the necessary components of a building to create an impression of increased simplicity— enlisting every element and detail to serve multiple visual and functional purposes. By enlisting both functions of glass as a transparent material and as structural element, this kills two birds with one stone. With the environment in mind, we would particularly like to see the advancement in the technology of solar vision glass – in that it

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is more sustainable to produce and also in its ability to efficiently and effectively generate power. Given the great load that contemporary convenience places on unrenewable energy sources in the world – solar glass could be a source of real breakthrough and needs to become the baseline for all vision glass applications. It is our hope that this form of vision glass can be developed to a point where it is practical and affordable. Jimmy: What function does it serve in your own architecture and can you give our readers examples from your work where the material has been specified for a particular or unique purpose? Glass had always fascinated me. In building Science, we were taught that glass was used in allowing light to come through as well as ultraviolet rays which then gets converted to infrared rays which cannot escape thus making the interior hot. It almost became a taboo to use glass unprotected. In our Research & Development Centre we discovered that replacing the apex of the pitched roof with glass allows light into the interior. To mitigate any heat build-up, the gable ends have to be opened as well as other ventilation devices to allow hot air to escape. This technique was applied to smaller-scaled projects. Our first attempt at showcasing the beauty of glass was to create an uncluttered, frameless glass shopfront; 45 feet high using 19mm laminated glass with glass stiffeners for the lobby of the Genting Group Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, which was completed in 1995. Our next adventure with glass was to design a triangular-shaped porte cochere of the Pacific Bank in Kuala Lumpur. In explaining the concept to the Board of Directors on “How you’re going to design and construct our porte cochere?”, my response was, “As the porte cochere is on

IGS IN TALKS WITH SOO KHIAN CHAN AND JIMMY LIM CHEOK SIANG

a triangular plan, what we intend to do is to elevate the hypotenuse of the triangle up three floors, then connect the hypotenuse from its new position, to the two opposite sides located at a lower plane with straight lines and cladding this new 3-dimensional triangular porte cochere with glass panes”…..a simple solution to an otherwise complex situation. Besides currently working on re-adapting an r.c-framed church to be timber hybrid with proposed glass roof; we are designing a rather spectacular hemispherical-shaped roof originating from an arch bridge over a baptismal font in the basement using the same principle of the raised hypotenuse of the Pacific Bank project. We hope to create a semi-hemispherical jewel-like glass roof…something for us to look forward to. This exemplifies how I love natural light to illuminate the interiors of my projects. I have used it on roofs and skylights and now in a functional manner which exudes a sense of aesthetics. Just as the glass pyramid is to the Louvre Museum of Paris, ‘the glass jewel’ will be synonymous to the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Sibu. Does glass perform enough functions to satisfy your creative mind? Or is there something you would like glass to do that it currently does not do...to your knowledge? I love glass. It has great potential. As glass technology advances, it allows much design possibilities. Allowing natural sunlight to penetrate into the interiors of buildings without heat gain has to be a major step towards sustainable architecture not yet explored which goes beyond a simplistic gold or platinum GBI. The Tropics has to be the next frontier for glass advancement exploration. IGS: And finally, in light of the COVID-19, how do you think this global pandemic will influence architectural design? Soo: The coronavirus pandemic will certainly influence design – especially as people reconsider their daily routines. More importantly, on a larger scale, COVID-19 will affect cities and ultimately urban design. As more people begin to work from home, they will start to need more space, and we foresee this resulting in many trading the convenience and entertainment in the city for increased personal space in more rural or suburban areas.

situations. In the same way, certain back-end offices, still requiring office space, will shift their premises to the suburbs, simultaneously drawing workers out of the dense city centers and into the countryside. This will undoubtedly have an effect on density with the established city centers, the existing building typologies associated with such density, and how types will adapt to such a drain of numbers – but also will see a surge in new typologies of homes and commercial space in the suburbs and exurbs where space is, for now, more abundant. Jimmy: Nothing will change. The developers are still going after the bottom line and talking about their ROIs (return on investment). Architects as a profession has not woken up to the fact that the earth is crumbling due to constant unsustainable onslaught. That during the “lockdown” there were blue skies, no pollution and dolphins reappearing in the canals of Venice must be the “writing on the wall”.

Prof. Soo K. Chan is the founding principal and design director of SCDA, a design studio seamlessly integrating architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and product design to create holistic spatial experiences. SCDA has offices in Singapore, Shanghai and New York. The firm has designed in over 70 locations across Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and North America. Soo Chan was the recipient of three American Institute of Architects (AIA) International and AIA NY Awards for Architecture, and three Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International prizes, the President’s Design Award, and nine Chicago Athenaeum awards, amongst others. SCDA and its projects have been published in international journals and periodicals, and were presented at the Venice Biennale. He is a founding partner of Constructions Declare and a board member of US environmental group, Parley for the Oceans. Soo Chan obtained his Master of Architecture degree at Yale. In addition to his design practice, he is a Professor of Architecture at the National University of Singapore and has taught and lectured at several international architecture schools.

Prof. Jimmy Lim Cheok Siang is the Principal of Jimmy Lim Design (formerly CSL Associates), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Penang-born was sent to Sydney, Australia, to complete his education and study architecture at University of New South Wales. He refers to this as his first stage of the “globalisation” process – learning from the West. After rejecting a job offer from the National University of Singapore to be on their design team for the Kent Ridge NewCampus project, he returned to Kuala Lumpur in Nov. 1972 to join a local architectural firmto pioneer the design of the first Semi-conductor plant in Malaysia. This was his second stage of the “globalisation” process – applying what he had learnt to the home environment. In 1993 he was appointed an associate Director of Projek Akitek until 1978, when he started his own architectural practice CSL Associates, in Kuala Lumpur. Whilst at Projek Akitek he was responsible for the Indonesian Embassy, PJ Pusat Sivik, Motorola Semi-conductor, and the former Citibank HQ (Wisma Maran). Since returning to Malaysia has been an active Member of PAM (Malaysian Institute of Architects) and its activities. He is a pastPresident of PAM, a Founder Member of the Badan Warisan Malaysia (Heritage of Malaysia Trust), and was President of the Sahabat Warisan (Friends of Heritage). His work is internationally renowned and recognised for his equatorial tropical architecture. An architecture which is sometimes uncompromising and unconventional, they explore and celebrate “the Rites of the Tropics”, that challenges current trends. It is typified by his “architecture without walls” where he promotes the delineation of floors, exploding of walls and the use of multi-layered roofs for improving natural ventilation; a bold statements of his energy efficient tropical architectural expressions. Some of his more notable buildings are the Walian House, Schnyder House, Quek house, Salinger House, Impiana Resort, Awana Resort and the Prudential Building (formerly the Pacific Bank) He has won numerous Awards for Architectural Excellence, PAM House Award, PAM Building Awards, Commonwealth Association of Architects Award, Norway Award, Alumni University NSWAward, including the coveted Aga Khan Award 1998. He lectures extensively and was invited to be an Adjunct Professor to School of Architecture at the Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia. Email: cslcyy9@yahoo.co.uk Website: www.jimmylimdesign.com

We’ve already seen companies like JP Morgan and Twitter move large chunks of their workforce to permanent work-from-home intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

The State of the Art and Potential Futures of Skybridges Antony Wood CEO Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat This article contains extracts from the CTBUH Technical Guide The Space Across: Skybridges and the Future City, the culmination of a research project generously funded by thyssenkrupp Elevator (see Figure 1). The Guide can be purchased at https://store.ctbuh.org/technical-guides/245-the-space-across-skybridges-and-the-future-city.html

Introduction Throughout the 20th, and now the 21st century, the world has clearly seen a push towards greater height and urban density in our major urban centers, the ground-pavement level remains almost exclusively the sole physical plane of connection. As the world rapidly urbanizes, greater thought needs to be expended on how horizontal space can be developed at height, particularly as public space is increasingly at a premium, energy consumption remains high and concerns about the effects of density and isolation on physical

and mental health take new precedence. An idea that began as an early 20th-century solution to a different set of urban problems – namely the introduction of the automobile and new forms of motorized mass transit – may be passing into a new era today, as its practicality becomes more evident. Skybridges, generally enclosed spaces linking two or more buildings at height, have been with us since the Bridge of Sighs was completed in Venice in the early 1600s. But as cities have grown into megacities, skybridges

have taken a huge jump in relevance and scale, as evidenced by projects like Raffles City in Chongqing, China, at which the largest skybridge is some 296 meters long – longer than the height of any the skyscrapers to which it attaches. Superlatives add drama to the story, but the real essence lies in examining the qualitative aspects of skybridge projects of all scales. The CTBUH research team studied 15 skybridges in detail, and came to some interesting observations.

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

Figure 2. Highlight Towers, Munich, completed in 2004, includes skybridges that are well-integrated with the strict geometry of the adjoining towers. The original design called for the possibility that the skybridges could be demounted and moved from floor to floor according to need. Image credits: Both images © Rainer Viertlbloeck

Benefits of Skybridge Construction, and Standout Examples At the most basic level, skybridges offer easier access to functions shared between towers, thus increasing the viability of those functions and reducing the need of occupants to return to the ground for essentials. Those skybridges devoted purely to circulation increase the efficiency of a group of tall buildings by connecting upper floor plates. The most common and salient advantage has come from connecting the elevator transfer lobbies of those buildings, such that reaching the upper half of the adjacent tower is almost as easy as doing so in the tower in which the journey begins. This reduces congestion in ground-floor elevator lobbies and allows the developer to build two substantial buildings on a relatively small lot. The “enclosed circulation” skybridges seen in cases such as Highlight Towers, Munich and Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur are particularly elegant (see figures 2 and 3). At Highlight Towers, for instance, the neartransparent use of glass and structure makes for a highly integrated architectural expression, while also providing a practical means of expanding tenancies between the two buildings. In fact, the bridges were originally designed to be movable from floor to floor according to need, though to date they have never been moved from their original positions. In addition to having once held the title of World’s Tallest Building(s), from 1998 to 2004, the Petronas Towers continue to be superlative in the skybridge category. The Petronas skybridge is the third-highest skybridge studied in this research project (and the world’s 13thhighest), and at 58.4 meters, has the longest individual span of any in the research group. It is located at 170 meters above the ground floor, which places it at 37.6 percent of the height of the towers. This is closer to the midpoint of occupancy than would appear to be the case, due in part to the decorative crown structures that complete the towers; the skybridge’s positioning at the 41st and 42nd floors makes it easily reachable for occupants of the 88-floor towers. In addition, one of the main positive sideeffects of utilizing the skybridge for evacuation in the Petronas Towers (other than significantly improving evacuation efficiency for the full evacuation of a single tower) is that it allowed the omission of an additional fire stair that

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

Seoul (see Figure 4); to a lap pool, such as at American Copper Buildings, New York City (see Figure 5); to tens of thousands of square meters of public and semi-public attractions, as at Raffles City Chongqing (see Figure 6).

Figure 3. The Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, completed in 1998, have an ingenious two-level skybridge positioned between them, which provides an observation deck and circulation between the elevator lobbies of the adjoining towers. Image credits: © Alex Block (cc by-sa)

In corporate headquarters, such as Tencent Seafront Towers, Shenzhen (see Figure 7), the campus-like amenities traditionally afforded to sprawling Silicon Valley companies have been “flipped” to the vertical, appropriately for the urban context and site constraints, including dramatic interior gathering spaces and recreational facilities, such as a rock-climbing wall, basketball court and running track.

would have been needed in each tower from the skylobby to the ground floor. This translated into significant costs savings and improved earnings potential by creating more usable area. A higher level of usage intensity occurs when the skybridge not only connects similar or

related amenities in two adjacent towers, but actually contains the amenities itself. Then it becomes a destination as much as a means of circulation, potentially increasing its value. This is the fundamental proposition of the “enclosed programmatic” skybridge, which can range from an exercise room, as at Daesung D3 City,

There are additional benefits that have come to light, which are not quite as obvious, but are fundamental to the cost-benefit ratio of constructing the project in the first place. For instance, skybridges can offer redundancy and alternative routings for services provision. Note Figure 5. The American Copper Buildings, New York City, completed in 2017, feature a three-floor skybridge (a) that contains, from bottom to top, a mechanical floor, (b) a lap pool (which allows people to swim from one tower to the other) and (c) a lounge. The use of the bridge as mechanical space allowed the addition of a private pool on the roof of one of the towers, where mechanical equipment ordinarily would have been located. Image credits: (a) © Jeff Goldberg; middle (b) © Jeff Goldberg; (c) © Max Touhey.

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GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

the example of American Copper Buildings, where routing services through the skybridge saved a considerable amount of space on the adjoining building rooftops, making way for a revenue-producing private pool on the roof of one of the towers, where normally MEP equipment would have been housed.

There is also a strong justification for deploying skybridges as quasi-urban networks, as was the case at Linked Hybrid, Beijing (see Figure 8). The skybridges at Linked Hybrid are critical components of the strategy of making a multidimensional, porous community. Connecting the predominantly residential buildings

at floors 12 to 17, there are eight bridges linking nine buildings; each is independently programmed with a unique function, which in some cases spills over, or is shared with a portion of the floor plate of the building to which it is attached. They embody the concept of “enclosed programmatic” skybridge, in that they serve as destinations within themselves, as much as – and in the final analysis, perhaps even more so – than circulation.

Figure 6. The “Crystal” skybridge at Raffles City, Chongqing, completed 2019, contains more than 10,000 square meters of amenities at more than 200 meters in the air. Included within is a curving infinity pool, gardens, restaurants, observation decks, and a gym. Image credits: Overall view © EJay Photography, courtesy of Safdie Architects; Section drawing © Safdie Architects, redrawn by CTBUH; Interior view © Safdie Architects

Observatory

Sky Garden/Conservatory

Clubhouse

Dining

T3N

Observatory

T4N

Exterior Space

T3S

T4S 280 m

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Evaluation In large part, evaluation of the skybridge project comes down to the intent of the design and to what degree it was implemented. This is a question that should be considered at both the urban and building scale, if not at several levels in between.

prominent locations in the urban context are best positioned to exploit the potential of the typology.

The urban scale in particular is a driving force in nearly all skybridge projects. By connecting buildings at height, an opportunity is created to form an urban gateway, a way of framing the city in a new perspective and guiding residents and visitors through a portal from one context into another. This is certainly the case in super-scaled projects such as Raffles City Chongqing, which is positioned at the intersection of two significant rivers at the most visible point in the city.

With respect to usage and programming, the experience of the skybridge from the inside can be evaluated along a number of dimensions, with the overarching question being, “Do I know that I am in a skybridge, and that this space plays a special role in this building complex?” To the extent that the answer is “yes,” we can locate some exemplars in the case of virtually all of the “enclosed programmatic” skybridge projects, though some individual spaces and bridges are stronger in this regard than others. The bridge at Concord CityPlace, for example, goes the extra mile to emphasize the special nature of the enclosure, by inserting glass flooring (see Figure 10).

But it is also evident in smaller-scale projects, such as Concord CityPlace Parade, Toronto (see Figure 9), where an otherwise typical highrise development acts an instrument of site repair, as it uses its skybridge as a guidepost to pedestrians crossing between an area of the city’s downtown and its developing lakefront, which are separated by high-traffic road and rail corridors. In these cases, the symbolic gesture of invitation represented by skybridgelinked projects, in which its composition and silhouette is perhaps the most salient factor—is clearly evident. Skybridge projects placed at

Meanwhile, some of the interiors of the Linked Hybrid skybridge network sometimes seem designed to obscure the fact that they are soaring through the sky between buildings, as others emphasize it (see Figure 11). Linked Hybrid ranks among the most elaborately developed projects in our research. In its ambitious gesture of creating a unique and porous experience within the framework of urban China’s walled compounds, it has succeeded in inspiring dozens of projects around the world. The conception of the skybridge network as analogous to a public

Figure 7. Tencent Seafront Towers, Shenzhen, completed 2017, provides a vertical campus for China’s largest technology company (a), including two skybridge “links” containing amenities such as (b) a climbing wall and (c) a basketball court. Image credits: (a) TJAD; (b) TJAD / Shao Feng Architectural Photography Studio; (c) Yijie Hu

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Figure 8. Linked Hybrid, Beijing, completed in 2009, connects eight residential buildings and a hotel with a continuous series of programmed skybridges, with functions ranging from a lap pool to film production studios. Image Credits: Top: © Steven Holl Architects Shu He; Middle and Bottom: © Steven Holl Architects, redrawn by CTBUH

Figure 9. The urban gateway formed by the skybridge at Concord CityPlace Parade in Toronto, completed 2013, is at least as significant to the overall design as the experience of the bridge from the interior. Image Credit: © Concord Adex

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street with access to mixed uses, however, seems to have been compromised by the decision to rent out large segments to private companies that limit or bar access to the general public and even to residents. To be fair, the project was designed without a great deal of clarity from the client regarding the operation and leasing strategy. It was conceived at a time of rapid growth in China, with many developers venturing into the business for the first time. Secondly, the leasing of the bridges was not complete until many years after completion of the project. A skybridge that maximizes its potential as a symbol or architectural feature at multiple scales; that performs a critical structural role that adds or returns leasable space to the project; that makes the most of its positioning between two towers as a host for interesting and unique programming, and

Figure 11. The interiors of the skybridges at Linked Hybrid, Beijing comprise a huge range of functions, some of which, such as its lap pool (a and b), emphasize the views and sense of spaciousness that comes from being in a skybridge. Others, such as studio spaces (c and d), almost seem designed to obscure their location. Image Credits (all): © Modern Land

that capitalizes on that positioning to provide efficient movement and great views, could be considered “successful.” Unquestionably, the final judgment on the appropriate proportion of functions, and what makes a “successful” skybridge-connected project, is a subjective one, into which the qualitative evaluation must also be factored. It seems there is not one central dimension of analysis that supersedes the others, and it may not be ideal to have a final “score” that ranks skybridges in terms of their overall quality. The purpose of this research is to understand the full potential of skybridges as more than objects

Figure 10. The interior of the skybridge at Concord CityPlace Parade has glass flooring to emphasize the unique character of a space suspended in the sky between towers. Image Credit: © Talia Shipman

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Figure 12. The present models for urban expansion, one predominantly horizontal, environmentally damaging and burdensome on public resources; and the other predominantly vertical but lacking social infrastructure, are both flawed. Image Credit: © CTBUH

Figure 13. In future cities, all types of infrastructure—utilities, transportation and social, especially parks and other public spaces—can be transferred and replicated on planes many floors above the ground with skybridges serving to connect them. This could have vast implications for supporting high density, while reducing energy consumed to travel, not only horizontally, but vertically. Unprecedented public-private cooperation will be needed to achieve this. © CTBUH

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in space or utilitarian corridors, but as “habitat” in large-scale projects, and beyond this, potentially, in cities. To that end, those projects which seem to be taking advantage of all the dimensions of skybridges, at multiple scales, from both the interior and exterior, are getting the most value out of the considerable engineering and construction work (and thus cost) that goes into constructing skybridges in the first place. In a phrase, it seems to be about “fulfillment of potential.” Where might this potential take us next? Three-Dimensional Urban Growth By 2050, nearly 70 percent of humanity— some seven billion people—will live in cities, up from 55 percent today (UN 2018). To accommodate this urban influx of more than 214,000 people per day, the world will need to build the equivalent of a new city of 1.5 million people each week. If cities concentrate perhaps 10 or 100 times more people in a given area through building tall, there is both a need and a potential to replicate the infrastructure at the ground plane up in the sky, including the parks and the sidewalks, the schools and the hospitals, and other public/civic functions needed to support urban life. It is the position of the authors that the ground plane should be considered as a duplicable layer of the city, which needs to be replicated—at least in part—at strategic horizons within and between buildings in the sky; not as a replacement of the ground plane but as an addition to it. Every tall building would then need to be considered as a vital element in an overall, three-dimensional urban framework, rather than as a stand-alone icon superimposed on a two-dimensional urban plan. The typical urban plan divides the horizontal realm of public infrastructure (water, power, sewer, transport, and social) from the vertical realm of private space (tall buildings of all typologies) (see Figure 12a). As cities expand, current approaches generally bifurcate into vertical expansion (upper) or horizontal expansion (lower). The upper model (see Figure 12b) is generally a more efficient allocation of space, but the responsibility for extending infrastructure skywards remains with the private sector, which does not always have a commercial interest in providing the most supportive framework when it comes to public goods

such as access to natural ventilation, daylight, park facilities, etc. The lower model (Figure 12c) is essentially the condition of post-war North America, public subsidy of inefficient and environmentally damaging infrastructure that ultimately drives more urban sprawl. Both of these independent models should be rejected (see Figure 12d). Instead, cities should “flip” their infrastructure vertically, and connect tall buildings horizontally at height, creating new spaces for living and working, and conduits for services, increasing density and vitality, and limiting unsustainable sprawl. all types of infrastructure—utilities, transportation and social, especially parks and other public spaces—can be transferred and replicated on planes many floors above the ground, with skybridges serving to connect them (see Figure 13). This could have vast implications for supporting high density, while reducing energy consumed to travel, not only horizontally, but vertically. Key to the success of this proposition is a radically new level of integration and cooperation between governments and private entities, as well as a more comprehensive interpretation of “infrastructure.”

Antony Wood, PhD, has been Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat since 2006, responsible for the day-to-day running of the Council and steering in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, of which he is an ex-officio member. His tenure has seen a revitalization of the CTBUH and an increase in output and initiatives across all areas. Based at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Wood is also a Research Professor in the College of Architecture, and a visiting professor of tall buildings at Tongji University, Shanghai. An architect by training, his field of specialty is the sustainable design of tall buildings. His PhD focused on skybridges and their potential for a more significant role in cities, which forms the basis of this Guide. Prior to joining the Council and IIT, Wood was an Associate Professor/Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Nottingham from 2001–2006.

The primary obstacle to this kind of connectivity is not technological; it is political and economic. At present, very few developers see the “upside” of connecting their projects to those of others, absent guidance from government on how public rights-of-way and utilities will be threaded through these interconnections, and how public access will be provided and controlled. There are significant liability issues presented when a skybridge extends between two private buildings over a public right-of-way. And, there would likely need to be a “critical mass” achieved in terms of development of high floors of multiple connected buildings before there could be any profits to share. Here again, taxation and code incentives will need to be deployed to entice the initial set of developers to take on the risk in any given market; it is a certainty that, as with many largescale developments of the recent past, a heavy public investment might also be required. Like any great change to urban geography, to become reality it would require the political will that stems from a frank reading of public needs and desires, and urbanization trends that are broadly deemed to improve quality of life and the competitiveness of cities. intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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COVID and the Commercial Workplace : Now, Next and Future

ecisions made in years gone by are determining whether office buildings can react easily, rapidly, and cost-effectively to COVID today, adapt to the next normal and be reimagined for the future. The implications for the integration between building skin and systems are profound. Now – managing risk in existing buildings Ever since COVID-19 swept the globe our immediate and collective focus has been managing the risk of COVID transmission in existing buildings. The central message of public health guidance has become known as the three ‘W’s - Wash your hands, Wear your mask and Watch your distance. Based on the growing body of evidence pointing to airborne transmission risk of COVID-19 we add a fourth – Where is the air?

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Transmission vectors for COVID-19 © Integral Group – adapted from Francesco Franchimon for REHVA

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Minimising the risk of infection in our buildings is no longer just a question of separating occupants through social distancing and sanitising hands and surfaces. The very nature of airborne transmission calls into consideration the configuration, operation and maintenance of a building’s HVAC system, particularly in relation to the provision of outdoor air and the use of systems that recirculate room air. When it comes to contaminant control, dilution through ventilation is the name of the game. This is well understood in the healthcare sector, where the design of HVAC systems in patient isolation rooms and operating theatres incorporates increased outdoor air volumes. The elevated air change rates in these spaces have been shown to remove airborne contaminants before they infect physicians. Flushing the volume of a space once is estimated to remove 63% of airborne contaminants, while 5 air changes is estimated to remove more than 99%. In practice, this means identifying opportunities to increase outdoor air rates in existing facilities and minimising the use of recirculating systems, which do not provide outdoor air but instead return ‘used’ air back into the spaces they serve.

energy use and occupant comfort, particularly in regions that experience more extreme temperatures. To make matters even more complicated, it is likely we will need to consider more than just ventilation quantity, and quality, and start thinking more seriously about how air moves around our buildings. Imagine for a moment a building served by a variable air volume HVAC system, where air enters the space through ceiling-mounted diffusers, hidden behind ceiling tiles. These systems are intentionally designed to promote mixing of air throughout the conditioned space, which isn’t a problem when the predominant contaminants are carbon dioxide and common particulates. COVID-19, however, has created a paradigm

shift that begs the question - “Would you really feel comfortable sitting in the same mixed air volume as an asymptomatic infected person?” Now, add to that complexity by considering whether air supplied into that office has been mixed with return air from other floors and other tenants in the same building, as is commonly the case in centralised air systems. Next – rethinking our office environments Having grappled with the immediate technical challenges of reducing the risk of transmission in existing buildings, the attention of occupiers, operators and owners is rapidly shifting to the next dilemma – to what kind of office do we want to return?

Another key consideration is the use of filters and UV treatment in the air stream. In recognition of the possibility of airborne transmission, ASHRAE has recommended the use of mechanical air filters with a MERV rating of at least 14. Ultra-violet germicidal irradiation, or UVGI, is receiving significant attention due to its potential to inactivate the COVID-19 virus through in-duct applications. However, the intensity of UV required to treat contaminated air requires careful consideration, particularly in relation to potential degradation of air filtration media and exposure to human eyes and skin. These measures are not a quick fix in many buildings. Some buildings are fortunate enough to be able to open their windows and maximise natural ventilation. The proportion of floorplate that can be reached has physical limits, and the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere will make this response hard to sustain as temperatures fall. Existing HVAC systems are often incapable of increasing outdoor air volumes – having been optimised to meet permitted minimum fresh air rates, and air handling equipment may not have sufficient space for increased filtration. Not to mention the potentially significant impacts on building

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Boden’s reimagined office promotes communication and staff integration through flexible, open-plan spaces – unrecognisable from its previous life as a 1960’s disused warehouse and parking structure. Image © Jefferson Smith

City centres have been transformed by the fallout from COVID-19. Trends expected to take years or even decades to materialise have been realised in the space of months. The rise of home working, the fall of physical retail and the desertion of business travel all have profound implications for our existing commercial building stock and for every new development as occupiers and building owners try to navigate the ‘next normal’. Lockdowns around the globe have forced every corporate workplace to shift to new ways of 106

working. The most successful businesses have let go of long held assumptions about getting work done. The culture of presenteeism (even when ill) that used to be the norm - prizing face to face work, from a desk, in an office, has transformed to an output-oriented model – remote, virtual, with employees working from almost anywhere. Office workers who have tasted freedom from hours commuting on overcrowded trains and buses or sat stationary in traffic are not likely to return willingly to the old normal. Nor will they forget the simple, life-affirming pleasures

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of working in daylight, next to an opening window with ample fresh air and a view. However, as many will be just as keen to leave behind the concentration and productivity sapping noise, distractions, and lack of dedicated workspace imposed by unplanned home working. While working from home has proven surprisingly effective, organisations understand that the opportunities uniquely provided by offices for collaboration, mentorship, equality of access, community and companionship have no digital twin.

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On balance it seems inevitable that there will be fewer office workers, spending less of their time in our city centres. The impact on our urban fabric will vary greatly. Those cities that rely least on public transport, have less concentrated business districts and those workplaces whose offices are more cellularised, often with openable windows – and therefore easier to provide social distancing and increased ventilation - have already seen the highest rates of workers returning to the office. Around the world corporates are urgently re-evaluating their workplace needs, with upcoming lease breaks and renewals focusing minds. Most will need less space - with employees working often or predominantly from home. Many will prioritise space to collaborate and connect rather than counting ranks of desks, fixed phone lines and workstations. Where able to relocate, occupiers are giving increased weight to the inherent abilities of some office buildings to maintain a healthy

indoor environment, and thereby minimise risk of transmission of COVID – or indeed the next novel emerging disease threat in years to come. Access to opening windows, balconies and roof terraces – environments that match the best aspects of working from home – are now more valuable than ever. Well-informed staff will want to know where the air that they breathe is supplied from and extracted to, how well filtered it is and if it recirculated. Making these systems and their performance visible will be essential to reestablish trust between occupants and owners. Tolerance for office environments that feel stuffy or lack air movement will be extremely low. Commercial buildings that cannot satisfy higher expectations for air quality, quantity, effective distribution, and intuitive control will be at greatest risk of being overlooked by future tenants, in a marketplace where supply will - for the foreseeable future – greatly exceed demand.

DPR Construction’s Net Positive Energy offices are housed in a former industrial building in San Francisco whose structure has been retained and celebrated as part of a wider strategy to minimise its environmental footprint. Image © Emily Hagopian

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435 Indio Way - The existing 1970s building was completely uninsulated with tilt-up concrete walls and single pane glazing. The net zero energy renovation concept was a simple one that relied heavily on passive and bioclimatic design strategies. These include highly insulated walls and roof, daylighting via skylights, fully controlled solar gain from all apertures, natural ventilation for the majority of cooling needs, and fans for enhanced comfort control. © Bruce Damonte

The Future – reimagining commercial buildings What of those office buildings that can’t step up to the expectations of the next normal? If cities have proven anything over millennia is that they are resilient and adaptable centres of innovation, commerce, culture and the exchange of ideas. The buildings freed up by corporate tenants downsizing their real estate footprint will certainly find new and surprising uses. With our heightened awareness of the whole life impacts of construction it is imperative that we retain and re-use as much of this building stock as is possible. The challenge is how we reimagine those buildings and in doing so, help our cities reimagine themselves. Our pioneering research into the life cycle impact of MEP systems is shedding light on the enormous contribution that engineers can play in helping architects and clients to reduce the impacts of reskinning ,refurbishing and repurposing existing buildings for adaptive reuse. Prior to COVID, Integral Group’s engineers have 108

led the way in developing award-winning projects which transformed a wide range of building types into innovative workplaces while minimising their embodied impacts. In London, our team helped clothing company Boden transform a disused warehouse and rooftop car park into a design studio. In California, DPR Construction’s net positive energy offices in San Francisco also began life as an industrial building, while 435 Indio Way in Sunnyvale was a former research lab. For Boden, the integration of carefully considered rooflights and new windows were essential to bring daylight into creative workspace. At 435 Indio Way, upgrades to building insulation, the introduction of opening windows, extensive use of switchable View Dynamic Glass, solar optimised roof lights and roof mounted PVs enabled an unremarkable 1970s tilt up building to be transformed into 100% daylit, 100% naturally ventilated and Net Zero Energy office space. That trend looks set for a rapid reversal. Already we are seeing clients revisit projects in design, under construction and in use, to understand

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how they can be transformed from offices into hotels, homes and even wet laboratories for biomedical research. The technical implications of such changes of use are significant. Those buildings designed and built with adaptability in mind are proving best placed for reimagination. The ability to ‘hack’ buildings has been a focus of our work for several years. Forwardthinking clients have increasingly been commissioning easily adapted structures that minimise constraints on occupancy, activity, or function. We’ve developed new workplace services typologies that can be easily, quickly and cost-effectively reconfigured to free occupants to develop new and as yet unknown technologies. Our concept for flexible and interchangeable systems for mixed use towers demonstrates the ability for building owners to flex from floorplates that are 100% office, to hybrid forms. For example, these can incorporate ‘business lounge’ environments to cater to the need of visiting staff, alongside dedicated business hotel accommodation to meet the needs for

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Integral Group’s mixed use floorplate model incorporates an adaptable core that can meet the needs of a wide variety of uses. © Integral Group

Kevin Hydes is Founder and Chairman of Integral Group, a leading Deep Green Engineering and Consulting firm with a network of over 20 offices across the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Europe.

Reimagining offices as hybrid work, meet and short stay hotels offers a model that meets emerging needs for post pandemic patterns of work. © Integral Group

overnight stays for employees who have left the city centre and will commute into the office from far further away than was imaginable pre COVID. Its inherently adaptability is achieved through the close integration of skin, structure, and systems - a blueprint for buildings that will thrive in years to come. Floor-by-floor ventilation plant provides decentralised air handling meaning that occupiers have full control of the quantity and filtration of incoming air. Systems are designed to work with natural ventilation at the building perimeter, where heat gains can be controlled through limitless combinations of fixed or dynamic shading, glazing ratios and spectral properties. And coming back to those 4Ws

- services are exposed, and windows have intuitive controls – allowing occupants to answer the question “where is the air?”

David Barker is a Principal at Integral Group, based in Melbourne, Australia and an expert in the design, performance and simulation of advanced building skins.

Closing thoughts To thrive post-COVID building owners will have to pay more attention to HVAC system design and operation. Design teams are likely to give more thought to displacement ventilation, underfloor air, radiant and 100% outdoor air systems. Natural ventilation will see a resurgence. There will be more interest in understanding airflow characteristics through simulation and testing than ever before. Providing plentiful fresh air for both health and wellbeing has never been more important nor more valuable. www.integralgroup.com intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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These Lightweights Really Pack a Punch

n the construction and engineering industry, functionality of structures and processes can at times overshadow design and aesthetics. When building with ETFE, we are able to combine project feasibility, architectural design and creativity. Compromising architectural creativity and vision is not a common phenomenon when building with ETFE, speaking frankly, it rarely ever happens because ETFE possess so many striking and positive characteristics that makes it the smart solution for all your building needs. Some headlining projects that you may have seen featuring ETFE are the Singapore National Stadium, Sentosa Resort World, also located

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in Singapore, The Shed in New York or The National Swimming Center in Beijing, China. These are all state-of-the-art projects; built with strong aesthetics, functionality and with sustainability in mind. Impossible? Great! Texlon® ETFE foil was first utilized in architecture in 1982 by the German company Vector Foiltec. Due to its unique abilities and properties, ETFE foil quickly became the new and most innovative material to build with, and over time grew into the industry must-have, as a practical solution for roofing and facades projects. The foil system comprises of one to five layers of foil and is suitable for every structure like steel, cable or wood. More than 35 years later, the

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Texlon® ETFE system is used in more than 100 countries and Vector Foiltec has become the world market leader. ETFE/Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene is an extremely lightweight component that can be used and manipulated in multiple ways to achieve individual outcomes in architectural and practical form. When building with ETFE, you can reduce the need for steel up to 7 times, in comparison to glass. ETFE’s lightweight nature, not only allows for reduced costs in structural components but it also allows for uniqueness and individuality in design. ETFE foil is highly adaptable and can be layered, colored and/or printed in order to achieve

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desired climatic conditions, shading and solar control or aesthetic goals.

faster installation compared to similar glazed systems.

Furthermore, ETFE is a sustainable factor when it comes to a reduced carbon footprint, enabling sustainable building practices and eco-friendly solutions. The use of Texlon® ETFE offers significant environmental benefits when compared to alternative transparent cladding systems, as it is an eco-friendly building material, the low levels of embodied energy and outstanding environmental benefits result in an ecologically benign building envelope. Choosing to build with Texlon® ETFE results in a reduction in requirements for artificial lighting, environmental control and the mass of supporting structures, while allowing for a

Truly creative, bold, iconic! Singapore National Stadium, also known as Singapore Sports Hub, is an excellent showcase of Vector Foiltec’s turnkey design and build approach. Spanning 312 m, it is the largest free spanning dome in the world. The central opening section consists of two parts, each covering an area of almost 10,000 m2. As the roof moves around the surface of the dome, opening and closing the supporting structure of the moving sections is designed with flexible connections, allowing the structure to deflect and deform under the action of gravity.

Vector Foiltec’s early involvement enabled the development of a unique custom-built Texlon® ETFE cladding system. Connected to the moving structure on sliding bearings, this system is able to absorb and accommodate all differential movements that could occur in the structure below. Tackle the climatic conditions When designing the movable roof, Singapore’s tropical climate had to be taken into consideration, a new print pattern was designed. This not only helped reduce solar gain and provide shade, but also paved the way for optimal projection and illumination of the spectacular roof at night by using low wattage LED lighting to create one of the largest LED displays in the world.

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Local climatic conditions not only dictate basic design loads, but also the performance of the building materials themselves, and the requirements for managing the differentials between the required internal conditions and the external environment. The stadium owner benefits from having a Texlon® ETFE roof through lower operational costs, especially energy costs. Cooling, or heating, depending on local environment, is more efficiently achieved because Texlon® ETFE cladding can be adjusted to local climatic conditions. At the same time as being a physical

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protection from the elements, Texlon® ETFE can be engineered to provide natural light and heat in the proportions required by the building’s users. The use of ETFE helped reduce the overall weight of the roof and subsequent steel tonnage required, and consequently had a huge impact on the overall carbon footprint and energy consumption of the stadium. Singapore National Stadium was awarded with IOC/IAKS Award Gold in 2017.

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What comes next, a moving building? A moveable membrane structure hosting the who’s who of all cultural disciplines in the middle of New York City! The Shed is the latest addition to Hudson Yards, which is New York City’s newest office and residential district. The Shed combines theater, dance, art, poetry, film and music in one building, which can be extended using huge wheels. Directly on the High Line in Manhattan’s new Hudson Yards business district, Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group have created avant-garde architecture for art

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and pop culture with the Shed. This compact, eight-story structure has a silvery, shining skin made of TexlonÂŽ ETFE foil cushions on the main building, and includes two pillar-free gallery levels totaling to 2,300m2. There is a theatre that can be divided into several areas with up to 500 seats, as well as rehearsal and event spaces on the top floor. The architectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; idea was to design the Shed as a multifunctional and transformable building. The size of the venue can be nearly doubled by a movable steel roof construction covered in ETFE, allowing for large-scale events and performances of all kinds.

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On both sides, the shell’s structure rests on one double and two single axles, whose double wheels, the height of a man, are mounted on rails. Within five minutes, the structure, including the 148 ETFE cushions, can be moved across the 1,700m2 forecourt to the east. This creates a hall space called McCourt, which is designed for up to 2,700 people. It can be opened to the main building and to the outside via vertical and horizontal sliding gates. If the structure is “parked” over the building, the space can be used by the public, or for events with the membrane skin as a media projection surface. Exposed to high wind loads The design specification of the retractable 114

building shell suggested a façade solution which has both a low net weight and high tolerances with respect to vibrations resulting from movement. The architects therefore opted for a membrane skin based on the Texlon ® ETFE system by Vector Foiltec. 146 three-layer and two four-layer foil cushions cover a total area of 4,110m2. The architects attached great importance to a homogeneous appearance of the shell. The cushions are therefore designed so that all foil seams run in a continuous line. Another design specification involved the façaderoof interface, where the triangular ETFE foil cushions must curve over the structure at a 90-degree angle. Vector Foiltec’s engineering team used both computational and real models to achieve these transitions. They built

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a mock-up at the company site in Bremen, which was used to test the various cut options of the foil layers and ultimately generate the optimal solution. Vector Foiltec brings together all skills and capacities under one roof, from planning and development and production to project management, these were certainly key factors when it came to the commission for the Shed’s shell. Vector Foiltec leads in innovation and development of ETFE technology, assisting clients with their building envelopes for projects ranging from small atria enclosures and office skylights to large-scale landmark buildings, shopping malls and stadia.

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SALES CONTACT Matthew Penrose is the Executive Vice President of Vector Foiltec the inventor and world leader of ETFE Building Envelope Systems. Matthew has worked for Vector Foiltec Asia-Pacific for the past 10-years working on iconic ETFE projects using such as Resorts World Sentosa, Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore National Stadium Moving Roof, KL Pavilions, Ocean Park HK, The Jewel at Changi Airport not to mention iconic projects in Bangkok including Siam Discovery, Siam Center, Em Quartier and ETFE Canopies linking Emporium-BTS-Em Quartier etc. Majority of these projects are total solution including steelwork design, supply, fabrication, installation, authority submission and future maintenance. Matthew is a British Structural Engineer and over the past 24-years worked throughout Asia-Pacific has become a specialist in high performance building envelopes that combine lightweight, long span, architecture steelwork. Developers, Government Agencies and Contractors consult with Matthew during the earliest stages of project design to develop the concept design and performance specifications to ensure the most efficient, coordinated and aesthetically pleasing solutions for both steelwork and ETFE. Matthew is also involved with tendering and pricing of the total solution directly to Developers and Main-Contractor providing solution for detailing, interfacing, method of installation, scheduling etc. Please contact Matthew Penrose for any questions about Vector Foiltec, the Texlon® ETFE system or our projects. t +65 6225 0628 matthew.penrose@vector-foiltec.com

About Vector Foiltec With transparent roofs and facades made of Texlon® ETFE, the company Vector Foiltec has made a major contribution to setting new standards in recent architecture. As the world market leader in architectural foil construction and inventor of the Texlon® ETFE system, we have already completed over 1,500 international projects. Our system shapes stadia constructions, atria, shopping centers, zoos and garden parks, public buildings, swimming pools, schools and universities all over the world. Our technology of fluoropolymer foils can be processed in a variety of ways. Whether as a one-layer or multi-layer system, Texlon® ETFE stands for high-performance building envelopes with an outstanding eco-balance.

Vector Foiltec invented and pioneered the use of Texlon® ETFE over 35 years ago, and is the only company in the world whose core business is ETFE cladding. Our team of experts has been responsible for most major technical innovations in the field. Through extensive investment in Research & Development and a commitment to superior quality and performance, we continue to be the global market leader. With a total of 18 branches and 2 production sites, we are represented in countries such as Australia, USA, China and the United Kingdom, combining local know-ledge with global expertise. A massive thank you to the marketing team at Vector Foiltec for putting pen to paper for this article intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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SEEN Elements - Swiss quality for architectural projects containing glass 116

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GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

EEN stands for extraordinary products and unique solutions in architecture, interior design and general design. Since 2015, SEEN AG, in partnership with innovative manufacturers, has been offering a wide range of opportunities to realize challenging and creative projects and ideas. A special feature of the company are the newly developed SEEN Elements. Thanks to these, glass can now be modified in a unique and particularly gentle way for facades, interior design and bird protection. Technical information about the SEEN Elements The SEEN Elements are multi-layer foils either both sides metallic or with a metallic outer and a light-absorbing inner side. Each of this element is individually placed and laminated between glass. They are freely selectable in shape, size, metal or color and up to six different elements can be combined within one glass . Because of their special structure, they offer a unique 3D effect, very visible on the metallic front side Metal Coating Aluminium in two different versions, titanium and titanium nitride, are used for the metallic coating. The aluminum coating is available either with a visual reflection of 89% (standard coating) or 75% (matt coating). This coating, as well as the titanium coating, is available either with a black

light-absorbing backside on one side or with metal coatings on both sides. Titanium nitride is only available with a black, light-absorbing back. All metals can be combined with each other or even with colors for printing. Because another advantage of SEEN Elements is the extremely flexible and cost-efficient production: Only a DXF and PDF file is required to produce a unique design. This can be done within one or distributed over several glass surfaces. In this way, SEEN Elements enable the implementation of customer-specific solutions. SEEN Elements in the design of clear glass - colors and color change The interplay of light, colors and threedimensionality creates that special something and offers a maximum of design freedom with the combination of different metals, colorchanging or additionally printed elements within one glass. The printing of the classic, highly reflective aluminum coating enables the representation of all colors according to PantoneÂŽ (with the exception of white) as well as various metals, including copper. A possible color change within a single printing is a particular specialty of the SEEN Elements. The combinations blue-green and red-yellow are possible. Depending on the incidence of light and the viewing angle of the observer, the coloring design changes. Thus, you can use the SEEN Elements for highly individual projects.

Bird protection on glass facades However, the SEEN elements do not only serve as design elements. Compared to black screen printing, SEEN Elements offer a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) that is approx. 15-20% lower for an identical design. They have also had an extremely high impact in bird protection on glass facades. Laminated between glass, the inlay consisting of individual elements offers a wide range of possible applications. For bird protection, the two three-dimensional aluminum coatings are used, usually combined with a light-absorbing, color-neutral back. Glass in architecture is often considered a bird trap. Every year, deadly bird collisions occur in the millions. Among other things, this also affects species that are under special protection. Bird protection is particularly important in the interaction between nature and glass architecture. Advantages of the SEEN Elements Due to the innovative application technology, SEEN Elements do not require tempered glass. Therefore, they offer a significant advantage in terms of glass quality and costs. The tested dot grids are laminated between glass and, in contrast to screen or digital printing, are permanently protected on the outside and leave the glass surface untouched. In addition, the light-absorbing and colorneutral reverse side of the dots guarantees minimal irritation to the human eye on the room side, while the metallic, three-

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dimensional front side gives the glass an elegant and lively surface. Added to this is the minimal coverage of the surface: the 9 mm dots with a distance of 90 mm from dot center to dot center cover less than one percent of the surface and still achieve the classification of highly effective. The SEEN Elements can be displayed in a simple 9/90mm grid in combination with the bird protection or can be extended with design elements.

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Test report of the flight channel of the biological station HohenauRingelsdorf in Austria The test trials of the new WIN test method took place in the Flight Tunnel II of the Biological Station Hohenau-Ringelsdorf (Austria) between August 26 and September 27, 2019. The test glasses with the SEEN Elements “SEEN shiny” and “SEEN matt” were made of 2 x 4mm glass and 2 x 0,76mm PVB-foil. Under exclusion of disturbing factors 187 valid tests were carried out. The testers consider the product to be one of the most effective solutions against bird strike, which has been tested so far with the WIN test

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arrangement (including mirror reflections on the pane surface which is the main difference comparing to the former test procedure according to ONR 191040) at the Biological Station Hohenau- Ringelsdorf. Test method and tested prototypes To test the SEEN Elements, dichotomous election experiments with wild birds in a flight tunnel were performed. Two prototypes were tested, the 9/90mm grid with different aluminium coatings, consisting of laminated glass. An unmarked 4 mm thick float glass served as reference pane. The test panes were tested in natural daylight.

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

The 9 mm dots with a distance of 90 mm from dot center to dot center covered a total area of 0.8% of the surface. Due to the composition a 3D effect develops. Test design The flight tunnel used for the test is rotatably mounted so that it can always be aligned relative to the position of the sun and ensures a parallel, even and symmetrical incidence of light on the test discs. This test arrangement is called â&#x20AC;&#x153;WIN testâ&#x20AC;?, derived from the word window. It is particularly suitable for testing the influence of reflections on the panes, as they typically occur on the windows and

facades of buildings. Since the light intensity in the background of building facades or windows is usually lower than outside, clear reflections often occur on the glass surfaces. These conditions are simulated in the WIN experiment. Test subjects The birds were 28 different species of wild birds. They were placed in a launch tube at the dark end of the tunnel, adapted to daylight, and flew immediately to the other, light end where the test and reference discs were positioned. In front of these, a Japanese net, commonly used to catch birds, was attached to gently catch the birds and prevent them from hitting

the test discs. Thus, no animals were harmed by the tests. After a single test flight, they were released directly back into the wild. Evaluation Of the 280 WIN experiments, 187 could be evaluated. 88 trials (31.4%) had to be cancelled due to hesitant or ambiguous flights of the test birds. Result Only 9% of the test birds flew to the test specimens. Neither influences by daylight brightness nor by the origin of the light could be detected. The result was surprising for several reasons and was evaluated positively

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A look into the future The goal of SEEN AG is to work together with the customer at an early stage of the project and to define individual solutions. Our partners are small and medium-sized companies as well as global corporations, which are particularly characterized by their openness to new ideas. Thanks to ever new partnerships with global companies and its own product development, SEEN AG is well positioned for the future.

throughout. The unique application technology of SEEN Elements is therefore one of the “most effective solutions against bird strike, which has been tested so far with the WIN test arrangement (including reflections on the surface of the pane) at the Biological Station Hohenau-Ringelsdorf”. Here you can get the original, complete test report about the SEEN Elements: https:// en.seen-ag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ Test-report-SEEN-elements.pdf

Photovoltaics with use of SEEN Elements The conversion of light energy into electrical energy by means of solar cells has become increasingly important in everyday life for some time now. They are not only found on roofs and open spaces, but also in city centers and other public places and official orders by the governments that the buildings have to cover their entire energy requirements themselves already require the use of PV modules in the facade area. This needs new solutions to mask the not very attractive appearance of the PV modules and make sure that buildings do not only look black and dull without losing too much efficiency. The SEEN Elements alread gain a significant visual effect with only a low level of covered surface thanks to the very reflective surface of the elements. Especially with direct sunlight shining on them, a covered surface of e.g. 15% looks like more than 50%. But this is not the end of the line. Semitransparent metal coatings reducing the efficiency loss even further are currently under development and should soon be available. Additionally, techniques from other industries will allow an even more visible 3D effect on the metallic front side making the facade even more lively.

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Rouven Seidler - General Manager, SEEN Rouven worked in glass production during his studies in business economics. He was responsible for development of the Sefar Vision fabric range for laminated glass from January 2008 to December 2011 and established SEEN in August 2015. Initially this began as consulting agency for architects introducing small but very innovative companies which usually did not have the sales power needed to compete on international high-profile projects. The development of SEEN elements started approximately 2 1/2 years ago and was built upon the experience of the Sefar Vision fabric development process. He is an industry professional whose passion lies in laminated glass and combining glass and other materials together to design new products, forwarding glass innovation to reach its full potential. Rouven’s key expertise lies in networking different technologies and partners, and 3D printing of BASF.

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

IGS Magazine Copywriting Service for Architecture, Glass and Facade Engineering Industries IGS has a passion for creative thinking and highquality content that makes a real impact. Our team of journalists and designers have over 30 years’ experience in publishing, writing and editing content specific to architecture, glass and facade engineering. Our aim is to deliver carefully considered, well executed content that builds your brand profile and connects you with your customers. So, if you’re looking for a creative content provider with a powerful injection of creativity to freshen the global face of your company, IGS Copyrighting Service could be just the tonic you need.

The greatest writing is clear and concise, consequently getting your message across effectively is sometimes easier said than done. Our experienced team of in-house journalists and editors raise your profile with thoughtful and intelligent copy that trumpets your story, hitting the right note every time: 1. Whitepapers 2. Case studies 3. Project write-ups 4. Editorials + Advertorials 5. Blogs 6. Press releases

“I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.” – Gustave Flaubert If you can relate to this quote, contact Lewis to find out more: lewis@igsmag.com

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EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM COMMENTARY FROM ASIA

A DECADE OF DESIGN

COLLABORATION, INNOVATION, VISION

28 6

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of 10 Design Ross Milne, CEO, 10 Design

Industrial Service Centre, Zhuhai, China Photography: Zhang Chao

We believe in the importance of providing a universal quality to each design with a unique and flexible aesthetic, a formula that we consider to be fundamental.

Our practice is design-led, with influences gathered from across the globe, which allows us to have a collaborative, innovative and visionary design approach and offer each client something unique. We take a fluid approach to the design process. This allows us to be involved with inspired and creative design as well as commercially TRANSPARENT ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES IN ASIA

TRANSPARENT ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES IN ASIA

driven projects. We believe in the importance of providing a universal quality to each design with a unique and flexible aesthetic, a formula that we consider to be fundamental.

Image courtesy of Eckersley O'Callaghan

Glass Re-imagined: 8

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Overview – K11 MUSEA Situated at the heart of art and design district Victoria Dockside, the new bustling cultural-retail destination K11 MUSEA, is a collaborative design effort by 100 Creative Powers that features local and international artists, architects and designers. Presented by K11 Group as Hong Kong’s Silicon Valley of Culture, K11 MUSEA is a blend of cutting-edge design fused with art and culture, creating an immersive experience to inspire the next generation. It is only fitting then that the innovation in both the architecture and the engineering of the building reflected this and its prime Victoria Harbour waterfront location.

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Sculpting the Tubular Façade of

The new glass, tubular facade of K11 MUSEA, designed by Facade Engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan, in conjunction with SO-IL Architects and specialist Contractor seele, is an inspiring, totally unique and ground-breaking facade. It has pushed new boundaries in its fabrication, installation and the advancement of the closed cavity facade system (CCF). After years-long testing and development, the façade is now unveiled to a wealth of critical acclaim.

K11 MUSEA GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

GLOBAL CASE STUDIES AND TRENDS GAINING TRACTION

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These Lightweights Really Pack a Punch

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desired climatic conditions, shading and solar control or aesthetic goals.

faster installation compared to similar glazed systems.

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The definitive expert in glass and faรงade engineering in Asia has the glass word in this Historic Asia-Pacific Edition of IGS Magazine

A Blueprint for the Future: Transferable trends in glass and faรงade engineering in Asia

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nder the development of the construction industry, the requirement to advance design thinking within and across all sectors is redefining the built environment. The world has changed beyond recognition since the advent of digital technology. Advanced innovative engineering and materials solutions enable the possibility of refined modern design. The outlook for the architectural building facade consists of creativity, green energy conservation, smart technologies and digitalization, symbolic icons for complex geometric forms, and cultural integration. Architects use their imagination and creativity to realize the combination of architectural functionality and beauty, show architectural temperament, cultural connotation, and human history, to demonstrate unique urban skyline characteristics.

In an increasingly complex world, forward-thinking strives to optimize both innovation and safety. Innovation drives progress to meet new age demands like connectivity, sustainability and performance. Safety underlies the foundation of all things, ensuring support for human and environmental health. Glass Technology Revolution to lead Reinventing Buildings: Curtain Walls In early 20th century, a ground-breaking architectural experiment in the United States and Europe laid the stylistic foundation for glass skyscrapers we see today. Spurred on by the development of steel frames and mass-produced sheet glass, a group of pioneering architects envisioned and created structures with glazed exteriors. Dubbed the International Style of architecture, their rectilinear designs embraced simplicity and openness.

The demand for high-rise buildings grew as urbanization gathered pace and cities became denser. Glass buildings rose to the challenge as advances in technology meant they could be built to great heights. The stunning views they offered also added value to properties, while increased natural lighting from transparent exteriors enhanced working environments. As a result, glass skyscrapers’ popularity exploded all around the world. Architects and engineers have used the curtain wall method to build some of the tallest towers in the world. But ingenuity and innovation are needed to bring these glass giants to life. Simply put, a curtain wall is a thin façade which hangs on the exterior of a building. Just like a stage curtain can separate actors from the audience, a curtain wall can shield building users from the elements.. Glass buildings rose to the challenge as advances in technology meant they could be built to great heights. Upward Momentum: Charting a Year of Skyscraper Construction At the end of the 20th century, supertall skyscrapers—buildings exceeding 300 meters in height were still somewhat of a novelty in the world. All super tall building facades are designed and engineered with glass curtainwall. Luxurious and chic, glass skyscrapers symbolize progress and affluence. Their unrivalled status in urban life makes them indispensable to cities’ visual identity. Glistening in sunlight by day, illuminating the skyline by night, glass buildings insert vibrancy into the urban landscape. For those inhabiting these structures, their transparent exteriors offer magnificent views, creating dynamic connections between urban dwellers and their environments.

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According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) database, the following buildings comprised the world’s full roster of supertall skyscrapers in 1999: Building Name One World Trade Center Two World Trade Center Petronas Twin Tower 1 Petronas Twin Tower 2 Willis Tower Jin Mao Tower CITIC Plaza Shun Hing Square Empire State Building Central Plaza Bank of China Tower 85 Sky Tower Aon Center The Center 875 North Michigan Avenue Burj Al Arab Chrysler Building Bank of America Plaza U.S. Bank Tower The Franklin - North Tower

City New York City New York City Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur Chicago Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen New York City Hong Kong Hong Kong Kaohsiung Chicago Hong Kong Chicago Dubai New York City Atlanta Los Angeles Chicago

Height Height (m) (ft) 417 1,368 415 1,362 452 1,483 452 1,483 442 1,451 421 1,380 390 1,280 384 1,260 381 1,250 374 1,227 367 1,205 348 1,140 346 1,136 346 1,135 344 1,128 321 319 312 310 307

1,053 1,046 1,023 1,018 1,007

Completion 1972 1973 1998 1998 1974 1999 1996 1996 1931 1992 1990 1997 1973 1998 1969 1999 1930 1992 1990 1989

Building Name

City

International Commerce Hong Kong Centre Lakhta Center St. Petersburg Vincom Landmark 81 Ho Chi Minh City Changsha IFS Tower T1 Changsha Suzhou IFS Suzhou Zifeng Tower Nanjing The Exchange 106 Kuala Lumpur KK100 Shenzhen Guangzhou Guangzhou International Finance Center

Height (m) 484

Height (ft) 1,588

Completion

462 461

1,516 1,513

2019 2018

452 450 450 445 442 439

1,483 1,476 1,476 1,460 1,449 1,439

2018 2019 2010 2019 2011 2010

2010

With activity that reflects the country’s meteoric economic rise, China is an obvious point of focus in the skyscraper conversation. The world’s most populous nation has been on a remarkable building tear in recent years, with activity spread throughout the country. No fewer than 30 Chinese cities added supertall skyscrapers to their skylines in the past two decades. Hotel City of Dream - Morpheus, Macau

Except for the original World Trade Center towers in New York, all these iconic structures are still standing. Of course, there is now a much bigger cohort of skyscrapers sharing the skyline with them today. 20 Years of Supertall Skyscraper Construction In the 21st century, at least one supertall skyscraper has been completed every year. In 2019 alone, the world built more of these incredible structures than the total that existed in 1999. Here are the 20 tallest skyscrapers completed in the past 20 years: Building Name Burj Khalifa Shanghai Tower Makkah Royal Clock Tower Ping An Finance Center Lotte World Tower One World Trade Center Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre Tianjin CTF Finance Centre CITIC Tower TAIPEI 101 Shanghai World Financial Center

City

Height (m) 828 632 601

Height (ft) 2,717 2,073 1,972

Completion

Shenzhen Seoul New York City Guangzhou

599 555 541 530

1,965 1,819 1,776 1,739

2017 2017 2014 2016

Tianjin

530

1,739

2019

Beijing Taipei Shanghai

528 508 492

1,731 1,667 1,614

2018 2004 2008

Dubai Shanghai Mecca

2010 2015 2012

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The country’s fixation on urban growth and continued economic success is producing tall buildings at a staggering rate. Last year, a mindboggling 89 skyscrapers were completed in 28 different cities around China. Vertical construction in the United States has been primarily focused in one of the original skyscraper hubs, New York City. In the long, storied history of skyscraper construction in NYC it’s interesting to note that 8 of its 10 tallest buildings were built in the past 15 years. Of course, no conversation about skyscrapers is complete without mentioning Dubai. No city on Earth can match the sheer magnitude of supertall skyscraper construction there⁠—a remarkable feat considering the UAE’s size compared to the other two leaders, China and the United States. Over the past 20 years, Dubai added 23 supertall skyscrapers to its skyline, including four that are taller than the Empire State Building. Remarkably, there are another ten buildings under construction in the region today that surpass the 300-meter mark. What the Future Holds The process from conceiving to completing supertall skyscrapers can take many years⁠— especially as these ambitious structures reach higher into the sky. For example, the Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen was first proposed in 2008, but not completed until 2017. This multi-year process means that the pipeline of upcoming skyscrapers is very predictable. According to CTBUH, there are currently 132 supertall skyscrapers in various phases of construction around the world right now. That’s more than five times the number of existing supertall structures that existed at the dawn of the new millennium. This includes the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which will be the first skyscraper to hit the one-kilometre mark – shattering the record height set by the Burj Khalifa. With the accumulated engineering and construction experience for supertall buildings, many Asian based façade consultants and contractors have become buildability technical experts working at new heights. For example, the current tallest Burj Khalifa built by Samsung C&T and the façade engineered and constructed by Hong Kong based Far 126

East Aluminium. Also the future world tallest Jeddah Tower is also designed, engineered and Performance Mock-up tests lead by China based Jangho which I had the privilege with hands-on experience participated of both projects in person in my official Dow Business Development Leader role for Asia Pacific based in Hong Kong office. Hence, there are more capable experts in Asia ready to serve the worlds supertall building construction new challenges.

and sustainable architecture. Society in general is evolving towards environmental commitment and architectural trends, as a social manifestation, too. One of the most important goals in achieving sustainability in architecture is energy efficiency over the lifetime of a building. This means implementing both passive and active techniques to reduce the building’s energy needs and enhance their ability to capture or even generate their own energy.

Over the next 20 years, as economic fortunes shift and architectural innovations advance, it remains to be seen what heights future skyscrapers will reach.

Architecture designers and engineers have a crucial responsibility to design sustainable, energy-efficient structures, and active measures are needed to ensure the buildings of the future are thoroughly low-carbon (and ideally carbon-neutral). As we move forward, we must be brave and accept change, even leap into the unknown – an adventure, creatively speaking, in pursuit of reducing our carbon footprint.

Sustainability in Architecture: Environmental and Social Impacts Architectural trends have one thing in common: the commitment to sustainable development

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THE GLASS WORD

the familiar over the novel, but we need to fight that familiarity through education and encourage people to embrace these changes. If we get it right, our children will thank us. If we aren’t careful, the future may not be the one we’re hoping for. Imagine the Possibilities: The Future of innovative Facade Ambitious architectural design often relies on computational technologies these days. Parametric design and freeform surface modelling tools allow the creation of complex geometries that challenge construction methods. The logistics of these kinds of projects can become very sophisticated. Double curved surfaces became common practice in architectural design. While their digital creation is well supported through a wide range of computer software, crafting them remains a specialist task – expensive and laborious. Building information modelling (BIM) lifts computer drawings from being pure geometrical descriptions to a representation of real buildings. It will be researched to use the additional information supplied to create Apple Store in Singapore Zaha Hardid Architects, Set to build the world most expensive landsite in Hong Kong, 2 Murray Road for Henderson Land

Reducing energy consumption starts with choosing the right materials for the right job. Back when energy was cheap and climate change wasn’t discussed much outside the classroom, the building industry seized upon glass as a primary facade material. For most of the latter part of the 20th century, fully glazed facades were the go-to solution. Simple, elegant and cost-effective, glass has been a mainstay of commercial construction for decades, even as awareness surrounding its inefficiency has grown. Facade insulation and glass technology are effective measures for reducing solar gain, but these alone can only ever be a part of the solution. The growing quality and affordability of LED lighting means we’re less dependent on external light sources, so windows today function as facilitators for wellbeing more than anything, cluing us into the weather and time

of day, letting in natural light and shadows, and framing beautiful views for us to enjoy. We should take this moment as an opportunity to reassess the role glass has in office design – to rethink our relationship with windows and figure out how to design in their benefits and design out their downsides. Reining in solar gain doesn’t have to mean resigning ourselves to dark, window-less offices. It’s all about revisiting our relationship with natural light and rewriting our design vocabulary into one that puts sustainability on a par with wellbeing. A key part of this is understanding that changing the way buildings work on such a fundamental level will change the way they look from the outside, with larger, more solid buildings the likely result. Judging architecture based on crude aesthetics will always promote

Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park, South Korea

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complex geometry within a certain range of parameters, given by a specific construction material or structural system. The result will not only be a geometrical shape but also a specific construction method or even a set of interacting forces. More regular curves reminiscent of the post-modern movement are also being incorporated in both plan and elevational treatment. Arches used as feature elements are often distorted in proportion. This is to intentionally differentiate them from the more rigid geometry of classical architecture Seismic Design of Jumbo Glass Structures The design of structural glass systems continues to evolve with the parallel development of new manufacturing technology. Improvements in the manufacturing processes of jumbo glass, including improved optical quality, improved coatings, and improved manufacturing tolerances, have led to increased use of jumbo glass in structural glass applications. The design of today’s structural glass facades has many aesthetic and structural advantage emphasizes simplicity, minimizes hardware, and makes

frequent use of jumbo panels and jumbo fins. This approach results in increasingly transparent structures and has transformed the industry. Development of a CCF Glass Tube Façade in Hong Kong The glass tube façade consists of 307 tubes made of laminated safety glass, 238 half-

One Taikoo Place, Hong Kong by Swire Properties

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and 69 full-tubes with a height of 9m and a diameter of 900mm. Aluminium profiles connect adjacent tubes with each other. Each tube has a cut duplex-stainless steel lid at top and bottom fixed with structural silicone. The project Victoria Dockside K11 Musea locates in Hong Kong’s humid environment and able to accommodate very high typhoon windloads.

THE GLASS WORD

Apple Store, Central World, Bangkok, Thailand

Emerging trend in Digital Construction Technology Digital construction technologies are used and application of digital tools today such as BIM, cloud computing, Virtual technologies like 3D reality modelling, AI, Robotics, 3D printing and scanning etc. to improve the process of making the delivery, operation, and renewal of our built environment safer, more efficient, and more collaborative. It will ensure that we get a better outcome at every stage of the lifecycle of an asset. Digital construction management, through Building Information Modelling (BIM) and a connected data environment, enables both broad and detailed views of all phases of a project, helping mitigate or avoid intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

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Tri Bowl, Songdo, Incheon, Korea

Galleria Department Store in Gwanggyo, Seoul, Korea by OMA

Sangam MBC, Seoul, Korea

problems that can stall a project. An important advantage of a complete digital construction process is its ability to be both predictive and reactive. For the construction industry, digital technologies have enabled new ways of working that hold the mirror up to a lot of our old practices. Also support freeform architecture faรงade with complex geometry design and engineering became reality. This can shorten the construction cycle and achieve high construction quality. Tri Bowl, Songdo, Incheon, Korea The exterior of the TRI BOWL consists of 130

an ANODIZING PANEL. In order to realize the connected shape of three cones, the cross section of each cone of the shape was segmented by 7.5 degrees, and a total of 48 sections were extracted. Sangam MBC, Seoul, Korea For precise installation, 3D scanning was used to confirm the relationship between the structural part and the AL sheet before installing the AL sheet (envelope finishing part), thereby reducing the error to a minimum and shortening the construction time by using the unit system.

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KEB HANA BANK PLACE ONE

technical knowledge and expertise in shared value, when dealing with special feature buildings and advanced façade systems so that we can solve harder more impactful problems for the world in a new era. In this global pandemic, “home” has truly become our last refuge and—particularly for those under quarantine—a sort of prison, challenging our notions of personal space, wellness, sustainability, and productivity. Author: Sammy Hui Vice President of the Hong Kong arm of the Society of Façade Engineering (SFEHK) & Senior Business Development Leader at DOW.

Galleria Department Store in Gwanggyo, Seoul, Korea by OMA Smart node systems are a new way of manufacturing nodes. This is a fusion patent innovative technology that combines iron casting and 3D printing technology, and it is possible to manufacture steel joints of complex forms accurately. KEB HANA BANK PLACE ONE UHPC(Ultra High Performance Concrete) + GFRC(Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete) technology to create a unique concrete facade. There were several experiments and simulations until one module made a 4Mx2M (THK80) size panel. In addition, the system required to accommodates large variation in annual temperature and humidity, to assemble the UHPC module to the main structure in the field, it was possible to raise the quality of the construction by making the frame to lift the panel.

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The Future of Design after COVID19 In early 2020, the world experienced a pandemic of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on a larger scale than any that had been previously seen, there is no way of predicting when or whether urban life can return to “normal,” or what the “new normal” looks like. Meanwhile, the crises already afflicting cities: including overpopulation, inequality, and climate change, have not abated. Against this backdrop, now is the time to engage in serious thought on how cities and buildings can be optimized to support the best health, social, and economic outcomes, even as protocols for how we occupy public space and conduct daily interactions are likely to change. We must challenge the way we design and construct buildings today to apply integrated engineering technologies that is open and accessible for all. In collaboration to bring its

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

Sammy Hui is the Senior Business Development Leader for Dow Consumer Solutions, based at Dow Chemical Pacific office in Hong Kong leads business development in the field of high performance façade solutions. By connects Dow Performance Silicones global resources to provide the highest performance sealing solutions and innovation to support the projects with design community including developers, architects, engineers, specialist contractors, systems manufacturers, research centres and certification bodies. A thought leader and ambassador in the area of high-performance sustainable design in architecture. Having held various positions to support the industry professional societies as current Vice President of Hong Kong Façade Association since 2015, Committee Member of USGBC Platinum - a consortium for LEED Professionals in Hong Kong. Active lead by playing key roles for AIA – American Institute of Architects International Region as founding sponsor and consultant with unique insights into high performance façade solutions as well as proactive support façade engineering professional community development that perceived by the local and global Construction Industry.

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AUTHORS DETAILS AUTUMN 2020 ROSS MILNE 10 Design CEO 3/F, East Town Building, 41 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong rmilne@10design.co +852 3975 2010 www.10design.co BRIAN YANG Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) Partner Kløverbladsgade 56, 2500 København, Denmark press@big.dk +1 646 404 4872 www.big.dk HUGH BRENNAND Inhabit Executive Director & Founding Partner 24/F, OTB Building, 160 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong +852 2544 4224 www.inhabitgroup.com THOMAS FRITZSCHE Thomas Fritzsche Architects Founder Zülpicher Str. 217, 50937 Köln, Germany info@tf-a.de +49 221 9414980 www.tf-a.de

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ROBERT HIMMLER EGS-plan (Bangkok) Managing Director 1706/26 SafeBox Office Bangkok, 3rd Floor, Unit 1, Rama 6 Road, Rongmuang, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 robert.himmler@egs-bkk.com +66 2 214 6146 www.egs-bangkok.com SAFDIE ARCHITECTS 100 Rev Nazareno, Properzi Way, Somerville, MA 02143, United States media@safdiearchitects.com +1 617-629-2100 www.safdiearchitects.com ECKERSLEY O’CALLAGHAN 9th, 236 Grays Inn Rd, Holborn, London WC1X 8HB, United Kingdom london@eocengineers.com +44 20 7354 5402 www.eocengineers.com ANDREAS BECCARD Priedemann Facade Experts CCO & Business Development UK Headquarters: Priedemann Fassadenberatung GmbH Am Wall 17 14979 Grossbeeren/Berlin london@priedemann.net +49 33701 32 79-00 www.priedemann.net

intelligent glass solutions | autumn 2020

EETIONG LIM Gensler Studio Director (Singapore) 2 Peck Seah St, 5th Floor Air View Building, Singapore 079305 Contact form on website +65 6692 2500 www.gensler.com

KEVIN HYDES Integral Group Chair & Founder 427 13th St, Oakland, CA 94612, United States info@integralgroup.com +1 (510) 663-2070 www.integralgroup.com

SOO K. CHAN SCDA Architects Founding Principal and Design Director 8 Teck Lim Road Singapore, 088385 scda@scdaarchitects.com +65 6324 5458 www.scdaarchitects.com

MATTHEW PENROSE Vector Foiltec Executive Vice President 72 Pagoda St, Singapore 059231 matthew.penrose@vector-foiltec. com +65 6225 0628 www.vector-foiltec.com

PROF. JIMMY CHEOK SIANG JIMMY LIM DESIGN Founder 8 Jalan Scott, Brickfields 50470 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA info@jimmylimdesign.com +6012 265 1528 www.jimmylimdesign.com ANTHONY WOOD Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Executive Director CTBUH Headquarters The Monroe Building 104 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 620 Chicago, Illinois 60603, USA info@ctbuh.org +1 (312) 283-5759 www.ctbuh.org

ROUVEN SEIDLER SEEN General Manager Kronbergstrasse 11 9104 Waldstatt Schweiz. rs@seen-ag.com +41 71 351 25 96 www.seen-ag.com SAMMY HUI Hong Kong Façade Association and DOW Vice President & Senior Business Development Leader (DOW) Room 04, 12/F, Kenning Industrial Building, 19 Wang Hoi Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon info@hkfacade.org +852 2704 7597 www.hkfacade.org

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