It's that building again!

[spylaw4]

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I do hope I'm not boring you all with this one! I got a bit closer the other day.

It's the new pediatric unit of Moorfield's Eye Hospital in case you're interested.

 

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I wonder if they've thought about how to clean the windows?

[elansprint72]

Brian,

Not bored yet, but can't help wondering how much children's eye care could have been bought for what it cost to put all that rubbish on the building.

[andybarton]

That "rubbish" is known in the trade as a "brise soleil" and acts as solar shading to the southern and western elevations of buildings.

 

This means that the solar gain during the summer months is reduced, so the reliance on artificial chiller systems is reduced. This in turn means that the energy consumption of modern buildings is dramatically reduced when compared to older stock, even if air conditioning is used. Consequently, more children's eye operations can be done...

 

All of the office-type buildings with which I have been involved recently have had "brise soleil"s, together with geothermal heat extraction. Running costs can be reduced by incredible amounts. Helps to offset gas-guzzler CO2 emissions, of course!

 

 

So, lots more buildings will have this rubbish on the outside in the future

 

Window cleaning looks like it is done via the galvanised grid walkways.

 

This is actually an interesting take on the technology - I shall find out who the architect is.

[spylaw4]

To save you the trouble Andy, the architects are Penoyre & Prasad Architects.

The building does generally face south, and IMO the brise soleil panels vaguely resemble eyelids perhaps?

[elansprint72]

But.... if they did not make the whole wall from glass, the interior would not suffer from solar gain so much and would need less intervention cooling

Can't see any provision for recovering any heat from all those wings.

 

When I were a lad, windows used to open too!

[andybarton]

Brian - thanks!

 

 

Well...

 

Firstly, the heat is not supposed to be recovered from the fins (although there's no reason why one couldn't make a brise soleil system out of pipework with water in.)

 

Secondly, the most thermally efficient buildings have no windows at all. Unfortunately, most people these days don't like working in caves, so windows become a desirable feature.

 

Our buildings do not have such expansive areas of glass - indeed on this building, I would imagine that many of these panels you see here are "spandrel" panels - i.e. panels with a glass outer layer, but solid, insulated material behind. It is difficult to meet the Building Regulations if the whole elevation is glass, and there are other issues such as privacy and a general look of untidiness when stuff that would normally be put down the side of a desk and be hidden by the wall, is exposed for all to see.

 

Thirdly - it's called "architecture", which is an art.

 

The "greenest" buildings still have opening windows, but in certain circumstances, such as The Beetham Tower, for example, or this building here, this is not a desirable solution to ventilation requirements. In city centre areas, or where there are very tall buildings, there are noise and wind issues to take into consideration.

 

People who work in offices which have opening windows, tend to leave them open when the heating systems are switched on, leading to more waste.

 

I did a 20,000 word dissertation of whether property developers should spend more money making greener buildings a few years ago. I'll send you a copy of my findings if you like

[biglouis]

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Let's face it, most buildings today come in a box and its the bits they stick on the outside of them that help make them different. Or am I being a bit too cynical?

 

Great photos, btw.

 

LouisB

[elansprint72]

All of which remids me why I work from home!!!!!

[spylaw4]

Just to add to Andy's comments.... Nowadays glass is remarkably thermally efficient - oh no - here we go - coatings again! Now where have I seen something about that recently?

 

A least this building is a bit different from the usual run-of-the-mill boxes!

[jlancasterd]

That "rubbish" is known in the trade as a "brise soleil" and acts as solar shading to the southern and western elevations of buildings.

 

This means that the solar gain during the summer months is reduced, so the reliance on artificial chiller systems is reduced. This in turn means that the energy consumption of modern buildings is dramatically reduced when compared to older stock, even if air conditioning is used. Consequently, more children's eye operations can be done...

 

is.

 

Andy

 

Surely the brise soleil would be an ideal location for solar cell arrays to generate electricity? Do you know of any any reason why it isn't done?

[andybarton]

Correction:

 

This building does not have any spandrel panels, so does have a complete glass wall. I hope they are tidy people!

 

Insulation and average U-Values can be made up with solid walls elsewhere in the building and through the use of coatings and argon as the gas in between the glass sheets, but there will be fewer buildings designed like this in the future. Glass will never be as efficient as a solid, properly insulated wall.

 

I don't know why the brise soleil aren't used to generate hot water or electricity more often. The CoOperative Bank HQ in Manchester has just been over-clad in photo-voltaic cells - a 60s building brought up to date. An interesting concept.

[ijporter]

Surely, the essence of aesthetics is the unification of beauty and function. As much as I applaud the energy and cost savings achieved by the design, did the architects consider that the design was also function as an ideal pigeon house? Although some may see the design as trendy and attractive, I could see only the irony of creating an eye sore as a place for the curing of sore eyes!

 

Ian

[MrEd]

I think it's a cool building. It's like having little sun visors for otherwise plain looking structures.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Ed.

 

 

 

 

 

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[peter55]

At work I'm studing Building Envelopes and I'm finding it an interesting topic. Now here on the forum I come accross your posts. I have seen this before but I didn't know it's purpose. Now I do. Can't wait to get back to work Monday (did I really write that?).

 

A few years ago I was an HVAC designer, now I'm studing Architecture.

 

Before it all I was a Fresco Painter and Sculpter. But to many Buildings are built spending the Fed money on fancy fixtures instead of Murals and Sculptures. So pretty much I always starved, then tought myself Engineering. Oh, and how I get along with Engineers!

Seems I'm the better designer but they have the P.E.

 

Oh well Photography is one of my passions.

 

Nice of you to post the pic's of this unusual Green building.

[spylaw4]

Thanks for the comments. I see that the street outside is open again, although the footway (sidewalk) has not yet been reinstated. There may be an opportunity for some more shots soon.