Green Building Tour: Genzyme Center
The Genzyme Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts is in rare company. It is one of the fewer
than 30 buildings on USGBC's list which has received a LEED Platinum rating, the highest
level of the LEED rating system, indicating a building that has taken extraordinary steps
towards sustainability, environmental responsibility, and energy efficiency. While the
previous stop on our Green Building Tour, the Council House 2 (CH2) Building in
Melbourne, Australia, wears it's green on its sleeve (or, perhaps more appropriately, its
elevations) and has numerous external features that are part of its green character, the
Genzyme Center is much more understated and, at first glance, looks much like yet another
office building in Cambridge (though perhaps with more style than just another office
building). The two buildings are alike, however, in that they are both at the leading edge of
what is being done in their respective countries, but they approach that peak rating in very
different ways.Genzyme Center is a 12 story office building with 344,000 square feet (32,000
square meters) and serves as office space for 920 employees of Genzyme. The building is
owned by a property company and occupied by Genzyme as sole tenant.
Daylighting is a key to the building's design. The building is organized around a central
atrium that makes the building incredibly open. All regularly occupied spaces in the building
have views to the outside, and more than 75 percent of the "work spaces where critical tasks
are performed" are naturally lit. The building supplements the skylights with heliostats, suntracking mirrors, which bring more daylight into the building throughout the day, especially in
the winter when the sun is lower in the sky. A "chandelier" of mirrored panels is both a
sculptural installation in the atrium and a functional element to diffuse sunlight throughout the
building. The atrium also has a number of balconies with extensive plantings which project
into the space at various levels, creating pleasant spaces with an almost outdoors feel.
Indoor air quality is also an important element in this building. Almost a third of the building
is behind a two-layer window system that creates a thermal buffer between the building and
the exterior, much like a very deep storm window. In summer, this space is ventilated to keep
solar gain from building heat inside the building, while in winter this heat is captured and
helps keep the building warm. Storage rooms for chemicals have a separate ventilation
system, so that any fumes are not intermingled with building air. There are also operable
windows on every floor, along with sensors that shut down the building HVAC to those
spaces when the windows are open.All of these features do more than just make a pretty
building. Natural lighting shows up on a balance sheet in the form of lower electrical bills for
lighting. But outdoor views don't translate so immediately to a financial benefit, though there
can be attempts to measure how it helps. A green building also makes a positive contribution
to the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
The greening process in our design makes good sense all around. First, it offers direct
operating savings. There is also a growing body of evidence that supports the theory that
high-performance buildings are beneficial to employee health and productivity. While these
costs and benefits are still in development, the potential for savings is significant. One report
indicates that annual personnel costs vary from $300 to $500 per square foot. Therefore, a 1%
increase in efficiency could be worth $3 to $5 per square foot. For Genzyme, this could
average $1,040,000 per year in personnel efficiency alone. (USGBC)
Being in a LEED Platinum building has had positive benefits for Genzyme. Since moving into
the building, the company has performed a number of studies and surveys of its employees to
investigate this. Genzyme has found that their employees who work in the Genzyme Center
had a 5% lower sick time rate than employees in their other Masachusetts facilities. That's the
kind of real benefit that business types like to see to justify the added investment in building a
green building. A more recent survey about the productivity of employees who work in the
building found very positive impressions overall from the people who regularly work in the
building.
"88% said having direct views and access to the interior gardens improved their sense of well
being." "72% said they feel more alert and productive as a result of the lighting features in the
building" "58% said having the ability to control the temperature of their workspace improved
the quality of their work environment"
Genzyme is not taking this as a once-and-done PR step. Other facilities that Genzyme is
creating are also following LEED (though not necessarily all to Platinum level). Rick Mattila,
Genzyme Director of Environmental Affairs, told me "[W]e are seeking LEED certification
for a fit-out of office space in a building adjacent to Genzyme Center in Cambridge. We did
not construct this building. We simply leased it and converted it for our use. We have tried to
apply what we have learned in constructing Genzyme Center to all facilities projects." This is
the kind of lesson that LEED tries to pass along. The benefits of building greener are wide
ranging. A green building is better for both the building owner, who gains financial benefits
from the improved efficiencies, and for the building's inhabitants, who are happier and
healthier and more productive.
SFMOMA is a classic Mario Botta building: it is big, broad-chested and very strong. Located
in a dense urban environment, its strong symmetry, bold massing and heavy masonry allow it
to hold its own among the surrounding buildings that are many times its size. Justin
Henderson, author of a book on the building, writes: “Botta’s building for SFMOMA derives
its power from many sources: the masterly orchestration of pure geometric form on a grand
scale, the integration of plain materials such as brick and sheetrock with the richer textures of
stone and marble, and the subtle workings of light in elegant, well-proportioned galleries.”
From the exterior, the signature element is the truncated, zebra-striped cylinder that rises out
of the red brick base. This “turret” is topped with a sloped glass skylight, creating a glowing
lantern at night and providing daylight into the heart of the building by day.
The entire building is organized around a central atrium (lit from above by the turret) that is
surrounded on all sides by opaque galleries and museum spaces. There is no indication of the
atrium from the exterior, the bold massing of the building is almost entirely opaque. Only the
street level entry penetrates the formidable brick exterior. Once inside, the atrium is revealed
as a protected sanctuary, isolated from the busy city outside. From the base of the atrium, one
can see to the apex of the turret as the eye is drawn up by the monumental stair on its climb to
the daylight source more than 130 feet above.
Several design elements are worth exploring; the clarity of the plan, the progression of the
monumental stair & bridge, the crisp galleries and rigorous detailing.
Clear Plan: Botta seems most willful in development of his plans and SFMOMA is no
exception. The symmetry is unyielding, the axes are never violated; it is in essence a
symmetrical donut. The public space of the atrium is the donut hole, and the monumental
stairs make clear how to move between levels. The donut itself is four floors of gallery space,
all above the main floor. After making a circuit on a floor, one is conveniently returned to the
atrium and the monumental stair, ready to move to another level.
Monumental Stair/Bridge: The monumental stair rises within the atrium up to the fourth floor.
The stairs from the first to second floors are very confined and dark as they create a
transitional passage prior to actually entering the galleries. The stairs between levels two and
three are more open and interact with the atrium space. As one rises to the fourth floor, the
stairs are fully open to the circular turret above. From the fourth floor, a pair of contained
stairs surround the turret as one rises to the highest (fifth) level. The progression culminates at
the bridge that actually crosses the turret for access to the fifth floor galleries. The bridge
itself has see through grating; it is as if you are walking within the light, floating above the
temporal world. (Elevators provide an alternate access route for those not up to such drama).
The experience from the atrium floor up and through the bridge is an amazing and rich
architectural sequence; few places are as powerful and dramatic as this.
Crisp Galleries: The galleries are quite simply done. They are typically arranged as a
horseshoe shaped enfilade of spaces, not surprisingly with wood floors and white painted
walls. Botta was very clever in coordinating which galleries receive natural light from above
and which are totally isolated from daylight.
Rigorous Detailing: Every detail I saw rigorously adhered to the geometry of the building,
whether it was the overall symmetry or the vertical module rendered in the alternating bands
of polished and thermal finished black granite. The black granite is remarkably successful in
reflecting light and other building elements; it does not seem oppressive at all. It is a fitting
contrast to the light-filled turret above. Once you start looking, another layer of building is
revealed in the striped reflections. For all of its rigor, my only real dissatisfaction was that the
building at times felt over done, almost suffocating itself in the modules. This is most evident
in the striped black granite floor and round column bases.
For some interesting interior detailing, take time to find the Koret Visitor Information Center
on the second floor. It is open to the public. The reception desk, computer stations and sliding
glass panels over the bookcases are wonderfully executed; the details are almost playful when
compared to rigorous detailing of the rest of the building.To my surprise, the exterior masonry
of the building is not laid brick by brick, but is brick on precast concrete panels. Botta has
gone to a great deal of trouble to place each brick to create precise shadow patterns on the
opaque walls; the building almost shimmers when the clear California sun is out.
The Nathan Landow Atrium interconnects the Mayo and Gonda buildings. At the south end of atrium
is the "Man and Freedom" statue. The 6,500-pound statue was created in 1954 by the late
international artist Ivan Mestrovic. It originally hung on the exterior north wall of the Mayo Building,
but was moved with the construction of the Gonda building and hung in the atrium in 2000. The
sculpture depicts man's concept and love of freedom through the portrayal of a young man straining
to reach the sky.
Winner of the Dexus Property Group/City of Sydney design competition, Architectus in association
with Ingenhoven Architects (Germany) have created a highly sustainable office tower on the site
bounded by Bligh, Bent and O’Connell Streets.Extending the ideas Architectus proposed in the Stage
1 DA, the proposal has been developed with three critical considerations: the View, the Public Space,
and the Work Environment.
The View
The corner of Bligh and Bent Streets strongly marks the main address for the building. The elliptical
form aligns with the grid to the north and is oriented to the harbour, maximising views and creating
premium office space and a quality work environment.
The Public Space
The reduced building footprint creates a significant new public space for Sydney that allows deep soil
landscaping and extends Farrer Place.Broad curving steps rise to the sheltered wintergarden and
provide an ideal place to sit in the sun and appreciate the full expanse of Farrer Place and the
heritage buildings of the Education and Lands Department.
The Work Environment
The Work Environment is designed around the principles of ESD, flexibility, efficiency,
communication and transparency.The sustainability strategies proposed achieve a 5-star ABGR and
the highest ESD standards. A fully shaded double skin facade provides excellent Indoor Environment
Quality (IEQ).The structure delivers consistent large floor plates of up to 1,600m2 and achieves 92%
efficiency Nett Lettable Area to Floor Space Area. 40% of office space is within 4.5m of the façade
with 1,000m2 contiguous column free space creating high potential for office layout flexibility. The
elliptical plan is 12% more efficient than a rectangular building in façade to floor area and allows
excellent natural light penetration. The atrium makes dynamic views accessible to all.
The building is set to create a new benchmark in Australia for sustainable high rise and provide an
enduring presence attuned to emerging cultural, social and environmental concerns.
Citigroup Centre
Citigroup's headquarters building is in Canary Wharf. It is one of a cluster of tower office
buildings that have been developed since the early 1990s in this new financial district east of
the City of London. There is direct entry from Canary Wharf's new Jubilee Line Station into
the building.
Designed by Foster and Partners, the Citigroup tower comprises 96,000m2 of gross internal
area, including two 3,000m2 trading floors and ancillary facilities for Citigroup's corporate
and investment banking business.The building is constructed in three distinct parts. To the
west is the main accommodation block, to the east is a service core, and an atrium space links
the two.The atrium extends to the full height of the western tower. In intensity and frequency
of activity, it forms the building's 'heart', and also houses a hanging sculpture, by artist
Bridget Riley, which is suspended over 16 floors, skirting the inner atrium of the western
tower.
Description
The western building accommodates most of the bank's activities, including extensive office
accommodation, the two trading floors, a staff restaurant, an auditorium, a health centre and a
gym. The top two floors are occupied by senior executive offices, client facilities and
executive dining rooms, which open onto a roof terrace with panoramic views of London. The
four floors below ground level contain car parking and support facilities for information
technology.Two secondary atria step back into the floorplate of the western building.
Two banks of six glass lifts, the escape stairs, the WCs, and mechanical and electrical services
are all located in the eastern services tower. All vertical circulation above the second floor
occurs within this tower.The two tower buildings are linked across the atrium by glassbalustraded bridges.
Externally, the structural frame is articulated with silver-anodised aluminium panels on every
three floors. These relate to structural cross braces which link the east tower to the west block.
The office facades of the western building are glazed full-height, with high-performance,
unitised triple-skin panels which wrap around the curved corners of the western block. The
east tower is clad with gunmetal grey aluminium rain screen panels, also used internally.
Design process
In 1996 Citigroup (formerly Citibank) decided to amalgamate its Central London offices in a
new headquarters building. Citigroup considered several possible sites before choosing to
develop a purpose-built building at Canary Wharf.
The bank needed 557.4m2 of net office accommodation on a large site involving large spans
of space across it. The bank also required two large open floorplates of over 2,787m2 to be
used as trading floors, with a third floor for expansion of the trading function. A further factor
was the opportunity to extend the site to include the space between the original eastern
boundary and the western boundary of the next building plot to the east.
The architects developed the building diagram at an early stage in the development. This
responded to the site and the brief, and defined the building in two distinct parts, linked by a
generous atrium which acts as the principal circulation space for the building users. By
separating out all of the service shafts, cooling towers, toilet blocks and elevators on the east,
where views could be blocked and in the position where the building could be higher under
the masterplanning guidelines, and by maximising the accommodation on the western portion
of the site, this strategy provided for the variety of floorplate sizes with open views on all
sides, facilitated by the provision of minimal core elements.
In the event, Citigroup subsequently commissioned a second, more conventional, tower
building on the site adjoining to the east. This now abuts the east elevation of the original
tower, with links made between the two buildings at all levels.The purchase deal with Canary
Wharf was concluded in December 1996 and the architects were novated to the developer at
this time having been previously employed by Citigroup since June 1996. Scheme Design
sign-off took place in January 1997 and work began on site in February 1997. Practical
Completion (shell and core) was achieved in December 1999, with Citigroup's phased
occupation complete by March 2000.
Evaluation
By isolating the building services within a dedicated core building, the distinctive plan of
Citigroup liberates the office space from the impact of the building cores. This provides clear
unobstructed space in the internal work area.
The trading floors each provide accommodation for 500 traders whose desks also house a
high level of information technology - in many cases with multiple monitors. These large
spans of accommodation are alleviated in terms of user comfort by the 3.95m floor-to-ceiling
height on these floors, compared with 2.7m height on typical floors.
The glazing panels on the west tower provide panoramic views, externally towards Canary
Wharf, the River Thames, the City and London's West End, and internally within the atria.
The continuous glazing treatment has numerous benefits: the views out, the views within, and
a unity between the outside and the inside of the building. This also provides a sense of rigour
based on continuity and the limited palette of materials involved. However, transparency can
make it difficult to control the way the building looks from the outside and in this case the
windows tend to be dominated by storage.
The movement in the atria animates the space. The passage of every person across the
bridges, the reflectance of people, natural and artificial light, the sculpture in the polished
black granite floor, the ceilings of the atrium bridges, the lighting, and the internal and
external views all provide endless variety and interest. The design of the bridges is a notable
success. Their generous width (3.6m) and the reassuring height of the balustrades (1.65m)
overcome the sense of traversing a narrow strip across a high void that frequently make users
anxious. The contribution of the central atrium to the fine spatial quality is immense. A cost
of achieving this is a lower ratio of lettable space than would have been achieved with a more
aggressive approach to rental efficiency.
The hanging sculpture can be viewed from the office areas and the main circulation routes. Its
bright palette contrasts with the muted palette of the atrium. It also contributes to users'
dynamic experience of the atrium. Not only do the component aluminium parallelograms
move gently and change with changes in the light, but people's views of them relative to one
another - and their views through the spaces between the parallelograms - change as users
move up, across and around the atrium. The judgement and commitment to commissioning
such as significant artwork - integrally with the building's architecture - has paid off.
The original decision to treat the east elevation of the service core opaquely, has meant that
the new building has not had a negative impact on the first building adjacent to it (despite the
extension of the first site to the boundary of the second). The only loss of amenity has been
the view through the glass-sided lift cars and shaft, with the original external view from the
lift lobby in the eastern tower being lost.
The office building (left), with the recessed atrium joining the office wing to the core tower
Strong image from the cross-bracing
Detailed atrium bridges with greater than typical route width and height of balustrades, promoting
user re-assurance
People moving in the atrium create a strong visual impact, despite the visual power of the crossbracing
Dramatic height of the hanging sculpture, also showing reflections of the ceiling lighting in the
polished black granite atrium floors
GENZYME CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE
Even with the all-glass exterior, the building's atrium is its most striking feature. The atrium is
the full height of the 12-story building and is lit mainly by sunlight. The open plan is meant to
promote collaboration among people and to create a pleasant space in which to work.
The stationary mirrors beam the light through the skylight and onto a chandelier made up of
768 prismatic tiles. In addition to the hanging tiles, the building has several other reflectors
inside the atrium, including what the company calls its "sunflowers," light fixtures made up of
reflecting discs.The prismatic tiles reflect light further and distribute bursts of color
throughout the atrium. The indoor space also has a "light wall" of reflective metal in the
atrium and reflective coatings on the ceilings near windows.More than 30 percent of the
building has a glass envelope, called a loggia, that creates a thin space between the glass
window exterior of the building and the office space.
This corridor helps keep the building at a constant temperature as it acts as an insulator. Flaps,
which anyone can open, allow air to come into the building from the outside. Each person has
a smart sensor to control lighting and temperature in his or her office.The building's roof is
green. The vegetation absorbs rainwater and acts as an insulator. The plants on the roof were
supposed to be maintenance-free, but somehow, some weeds (and grasshoppers) managed to
find their way to the top of the 12-story building. The roof also houses a 20-kilowatt solarphotovoltaic array that generates electricity.Hundreds of gallons of runoff water are gathered
and stored in the building. The water is used either for landscaping or inside the company's
heating-and-cooling system. In another energy-saving step, waste steam from a next-door
power plant is piped in and used to power the entire building.
Genzyme Center was expensive to build--$140 million, which is substantially more than what
a typical office building the same size would cost. The company says the investment was
done to create a healthy and pleasant working space for employees, who have been shown to
be more productive in well-lit spaces with access to fresh air. Employees in this building call
in sick less than 1 percent of the time--less than those working in other Genzyme buildings,
according to the company.Biotech company Genzyme went green when it built its corporate
headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. Called Genzyme Center, the 4-year-old structure is a
Platinum-level LEED-certified green building, the highest level possible. (LEED stands for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and LEED certification is granted by the
U.S. Green Building Council.)
The builders and architects focused on creating a healthy working environment for employees
by bringing in daylight and outside air. The Genzyme building, also featured in this
News.com video, uses several high-tech features, including a building management system
that controls a network of sensors and heliostats on the roof that collect light and reflect it into
the building. The building is in Kendall Square, located on a contaminated site where there
once was a factory and a storage site for coal burned in a power plant next door.
To create a positive indoor environment for the 900 employees in the building, the designers
of Genzyme Center employed a sophisticated system for bringing the daylight and outside air
into the building. Here are some of the building's seven heliostats. Made in Germany, these
heliostats move during the day and reflect light into the atrium. The light is reflected from the
moving heliostats to an array of stationary mirrors above the building's skylight.A view of the
building's seven heliostats from behind. The mirrors are programmed by a controller to track
the sun according to the time of year. During high winds or at night, they automatically go to
a horizontal position.
That's just one of the controls that maintenance people need to be familiar with, which makes
Genzyme Center more challenging to operate than typical buildings. "Smart buildings need
smart people," said facilities manager Louis Capozzi (pictured here). "Troubleshooting isn't
just going somewhere to fix it. You have to understand how it works."Maintenance for the
heliostats--the first to be installed in the United States--is generally easy, Capozzi said. But a
hawk once attacked what it thought was a foe and cracked one of the mirrors.The light from
the heliostats is beamed onto an array of stationary mirrors that direct the light into the
building's atrium. Glass panels on the skylight have computer-controlled motors to change the
position of the panels in order to regulate the amount of light that gets in.
The light from the heliostats is beamed onto an array of stationary mirrors that direct the light into
the building's atrium. Glass panels on the skylight have computer-controlled motors to change the
position of the panels in order to regulate the amount of light that gets in.Blinds throughout the
building have motors that are controlled by the building management system, which regulates the
amount of light coming in.
The roof of Genzyme Center has several weather stations that track the temperature, wind
speed, air pressure and the intensity of light. That information is sent to a computer board that
controls movement of the blinds inside the building and air circulation. The building's air
handlers are set to work at a low speed and ensure that the building has 20 percent outside air,
according to Capozzi. That low-speed, constant airflow throughout the building means that
the temperature can be set higher than in most buildings. Capozzi said that initially, the
company thought that it would set the temperature at 68 degrees but found that it can run it at
74 degrees comfortably year-round.
GREEN BUILDING: Genzyme Center LEEDS the Way
The LEED Platinum rated Genzyme Center, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, plays host
to over 900 of the biotech company’s employees and more than 400 weekly visitors. While it
is easy to go on about the building’s high performance curtainwall glazing system, the 32%
water consumption offset, or extensive indoor gardens, one of the most impressive aspects of
the Genzyme Center is its 12-story central atrium. The grand open-air atrium serves as both
large return air duct and light shaft, allowing more than 75% of the employee workforce to
work using natural light and yielding a 42% savings in electricity costs.
Designed by Behnisch, Behnisch, and Partners out of Venice, California, Genzyme Center’s
natural light enhancement system brings natural light in through a series of roof-mounted
heliostats (also known as mirrors) that are completely automated and track the movement of
the sun across the sky. The fixed mirrors in turn reflect light to multiple prismatic louvers at
the top of the atrium; what results is a diffusion of natural light (rather than a harsh beam) that
fills the twelve-story atrium. Inside the atrium, light is reflected all the way to ground level
with multiple hanging prismatic mobiles, reflective panels, and a reflective light wall. Behind
the simple science of light reflection is the computer brain of this complete automated system,
allowing all employees and visitors inside to enjoy daylight while indoors without having to
think about it.
Genzyme Center
Genzyme Center is the corporate headquarters for a biotechnology company, with offices, an
employee cafeteria, a library, gardens, training rooms, a conference center, cafes, and public
retail space. Genzyme Center was created as a symbol of progress to represent a point of
identification for the company, its employees, and visitors. The goal of the design was to
develop a building from the inside out, from the individual working environment to the
overall complex structure of the building. Largely due to the collaboration of the design team,
developer, client, and construction team, this led to an environmentally friendly, highly
communicative, and innovative signature building.
Environmental Aspects
The project team and the client balanced aesthetics, cost, constructability, and reliability to
create an environmentally responsible corporate headquarters. A number of environmental
design strategies contribute to the LEED Platinum rating the building is expected to achieve
and establish an open spatial atmosphere for the building occupants.
The building envelope is a high-performance curtainwall glazing system with operable
windows on all 12 floors. More than 32% of the exterior envelope is a ventilated doublefacade that blocks solar gains in summer and captures solar gains in the winter. Steam from a
nearby power plant is used for central heating and cooling.The building's central atrium acts
as a huge return air duct and light shaft. Fresh air moves into the atrium and up and out
exhaust fans near the skylight. Natural light from the fully glazed facade and from the atrium
(brought in by solar-tracking mirrors above the skylight) is reflected deep into the building.
The building uses 32% less water than a comparable office building by using waterless
urinals, dual-flush toilets, automatic faucets, and low-flow fixtures. Stormwater supplement
the evaporative cooling towers and irrigates the landscaped roof. Building materials were
chosen for their low emissions, recycled content, or local manufacturing. Nearly 90% of the
wood was FSC certified.
The natural light enhancement system utilizes a series of roof-mounted heliostats (mirrors)
that track the sun's movement across the skylight to fixed mirrors. The fixed mirrors further
reflect the...
Darwin Centre
The building, which provides world-class storage for precious collections, new laboratories
and behind-the-scenes access for visitors, is at the forefront of environmental architecture. It
has an energy-saving glass solar wall, which reduces heat in the summer and heat loss in the
winter, and a ‘caterpillar’ roof made of recyclable materials, which lets in lots of natural light.
It also links with the museum’s past by incorporating terracotta into its design, reflecting the
architecture of the Waterhouse Building. Its steel frame echoing the blue terracotta of the
Victorian building.The Darwin Centre's main architectural focus is the giant cocoon that will
house the Museum's vital insect and plant specimen collections. At 65m long and 8 storeys
high, it is officially the largest sprayed concrete, curved structure in Europe. The centre's
atrium shows the cocoon's huge proportions from below.Set around a spectacular atrium of
eight floors in height, the Darwin Centre Phase Two forms the crucial link between the
historic Waterhouse building, the Darwin Centre Phase One and the Museum’s gardens.
Second phase of Darwin Centre construction completes revealing the magnificent
preservative cocoon centrepiece
In nature a cocoon protects the growing creature inside and allows a transformation to take
place. It is these qualities which gave inspiration to CF Møller Architects’ Anna Maria Indrio
when she designed the spectacular second phase of London's Natural History Museum’s new
Darwin Centre.Encased within a glass box adjacent to the original Grade 1 listed Waterhouse
Building stands the giant cocoon. Its enormity and complexity of design together with its
positioning and relationship with the exterior building ensure that you will never see it all at
once, a concept which was central to the design process.
“It’s very important that you don’t smash this form out,” said Indrio, “It’s a question of
magic, you don’t want to show the cocoon all at once.” The structure conveys the message of
its purpose: while the cocoon holds 70 million specimens, 28 million of which are insects, 90
% of the world’s species are yet to be discovered or classified – simply put, nature is so
enormous it can never be seen all at once. The nine storey structure is also extremely complex
in nature. Indrio explains: “There were many many elements to consider. The sheer size and
complexity of scientists working environment and how they connect with the collection and
the very modern concept of allowing the public access to see this...it was very daunting.”
The structure is comprised of a thick, concrete shell hand laid by 50 men and with exterior
panels of which no two are the same, representing the diversity of the natural world. This
exterior, whilst complex, offered a solution to the technical question of how to cover such an
enormous curved structure to the best effect. Indrio explained that the cocoon had always
been drawn as one smooth surface but this evolved after talks with engineers, Arup.
Following several sleepless nights, the CF Møller team started to draw lines which
transformed the shape to look like a silk cocoon. The lines crossed over to create individual
panels that not only add to the meaning of the structure but ensure that any damage or
difficulty can be easily resolved. Hand plastered by Armourcoat using an Italian technique,
the plaster was mixed with powdered marble to match that used in the flooring and to add a
lustre which will reflect light at different angles and add to the silken effect.
Whilst cosmetically beautiful the cocoon is also practically effective in the preservation of the
specimens and in satisfying one of the main objectives of the extension: to change the
experience within the museum to allow for greater understanding of science and wider
inspiration to the public. This experience will occur within the nine-storey cocoon as tours
take visitors through an observation space showing scientists working, exhibition space and
3.5 km of storage racks for collections to work as an inspiration for scientists of the future
who will be able to enjoy the space when it completes in September 2009.
Transparency was integral in the design to open up the scientific world and create an inspiring
space where scientists can bounce off one another and accidental learning can occur.
Windows in the cocoon and across the bridge taking you into the cocoon allow visitors to
gaze through the building, into laboratories and through to the original building. Gaps in the
floor allow for a whole and integrated space throughout the many storeys.
This latest development at the Natural History Museum is the most significant since it moved
to South Kensington in 1881 and this is reflected by the generous donations towards the £78
million cost by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and
The Wellcome Trust. Seven years after CF Møller won the design competition and three years
after the construction began, the Natural History Museum, like a caterpillar in a cocoon, has
had its very own metamorphosis. To borrow the phrase from the architect herself: “This is a
transformation, not an addition.”
ENERGY STAR Labeled Building Profile
The Touhy Atrium building located 1011 East Touhy Avenue is a Class B building with a total square
footage of 153,777 square feet. The building is located within the City of Des Plaines, at the
intersection of Higgins Road and Touhy Avenue. The property is a part of the O'Hare sub market, and
directly north of O'Hare International Airport, with excellent visibility from the Northwest Toll Road,
which forms the southern property line.In 2000, plans were made for Phase 1 of the renovation of
building mechanical systems. The objective of this phase was to identify energy saving opportunities,
improve upon the working environment within the building, and to enhance the overall energy
efficiency of building.
Beginning in 2001, the central fan system, which was a prime opportunity for energy savings, became
the first renovation target. In order to achieve those savings, the constant speed fans were converted
to variable speed through the use of frequency drives. The variable speed fans were now able to
successfully track changes in ventilation demand, increasing or decreasing air volume, as conditions
warranted. To fully exploit the potential energy savings of the frequency drives, the air distribution
system was examined. The system of mixing boxes, dampers and pneumatic actuators was prone to
overheating, under cooling and failure as a means of controlling the indoor environment. In place of
the existing ventilation mixing boxes, perimeter fan powered and interior variable air volume boxes
were installed. The installation of the boxes provided for superior temperature control, energy
efficiency and enhanced comfort levels, throughout the building.
Concluding Phase 1 of the mechanical renovation was the installation of a state of the art digital
energy management system. This system provided the necessary tools for the successful monitoring
of the indoor environment and the efficient operation of the building mechanical systems.Phase 2 of
the renovation program began in 2003. Although Phase 2 was limited to a relatively small portion of
the building, the magnitude and overall importance of the work was equal to Phase 1. During March of
2003, demolition of the original chiller plant began. In place of the original chiller, a new 450-ton
variable speed machine was installed. At peak efficiency, the new equipment was capable of
operation at .20 kW per ton. While less dramatic, it was estimated that the new equipment would result
in an overall 35% reduction in refrigeration related energy consumption.
In addition to the replacement of the chiller plant, was the demolition of the twenty-five year old single
cell cooling tower. The installation of a new, two cell cooling tower provided for greater efficiency and
superior reliability. Augmenting the towers were frequency drives which converted the towers from a
constant speed, to variable speed and more efficient operation.
Including the upgrade of the digital control system during 2004, system upgrades required an
investment of three million dollars. This investment is broken down as follows.
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Retrofitting of the central fan systems, installation of new chilled water coils, duct work
modifications and installation of variable air volume terminals. $ 1,300,000
Installation of digital temperature control and operating system. $ 200,000
Renovation of chiller plant .$ 1,500,000
Following an analysis of the building lighting system, it was determined that a savings of greater than
30% could be achieved by the change to T8 lamps, with electronic ballasts. While the primary
emphasis of the retrofit was with the building common areas, where 95% of all fixtures have been
completed, the program rapidly expanded to include all tenant areas. As of 2005, requests for
replacement of T12 lamps are no longer accepted, and all requests are completed using energy
efficient lamp and ballast products. Taking advantage of newer technologies, several additional
programs have been implemented during the past eighteen months. All lamp service requests for the
replacement of incandescent lamps now require the use of compact fluorescent lamps. Exit and
directional signage are being retrofit with LED products, and exterior lighting is achieved through the
use of HID fixtures and lamps.
Communications:
We distribute notices to the building tenants regarding our energy enitiatives to solicite their help and
keep them up-to-date on Transwestern's focus on energy savings.