A quick glimpse at the upcoming weather for Abu Dhabi will show a week
of intense sunshine, temperatures steadily above 100 degrees Fahrenheit
with 0% chance of rain. In such extreme weather conditions, even
architects listing environmental design as their top priority are up
against a tough battle. Never mind that the sand can compromise
the structural integrity of the building, the intense heat and glare
can render a comfortable indoor environment relatively impossible if not
properly addressed. For Abu Dhabi’s newest pair of towers, Aedas Architects
have designed a responsive facade which takes cultural cues from the
“mashrabiya”, a traditional Islamic lattice shading device.
Completed in June 2012, the 145 meter towers’ Masharabiya shading system
was developed by the computational design team at Aedas. Using a
parametric description for the geometry of the actuated facade panels,
the team was able to simulate their operation in response to sun
exposure and changing incidence angles during the different days of the
year.
The screen opperates as a curtain wall, sitting two meters outside the
buildings’ exterior on an independent frame. Each triangle is coated
with fiberglass and programmed to respond to the movement of the sun as a
way to reduce solar gain and glare. In the evening, all the screens
will close.
“At night they will all fold, so they will all close, so you’ll see more
of the facade. As the sun rises in the morning in the east, the
mashrabiya along the east of the building will all begin to close and as
the sun moves round the building, then that whole vertical strip of
mashrabiya will move with the sun,” said Peter Oborn, the deputy chairman of Aedas. 11 more images after the break...
It is estimated that such a screen will reducing solar gain by more than
50 percent, and reduce the building’s need for energy-draining air
conditioning. Plus, the shade’s ability to filter the light has allowed
the architects to be more selective in glass finished. ”It (the
screen) allows us to use more naturally tinted glass, which lets more
light in so you have better views and less need of artificial light.
It’s using an old technique in a modern way, which also responds to the
aspiration of the emirate to take a leadership role in the area of
sustainability,” added Oborn.
For the project’s sustainable engineering and sensitive cultural and
urban approach, the towers were awarded the 2012 Tall Building
Innovation Award by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
“The façade on Al Bahar, computer-controlled to respond to optimal solar
and light conditions, has never been achieved on this scale before. In
addition, the expression of this outer skin seems to firmly root the
building in its cultural context,” explained Awards Juror Chris
Wilkinson of Wilkinson Eyre Architects.
Such an award acknowledges the importance of the necessary integration
of architectural form, structure, systems, and sustainable design
strategies.
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