Façade Proposal
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Team: Gregory Kokkotis, Kristoffer Lund, Lourenco Vaz Pinto, Nero He
Project: Academic/Research
Advisor: Marcelo Spina
Envelope transformation of exisiting facade,
Trutec Building by Barkow Leibinger.
The Trutec is an office building in Seoul, designed by Barkow and Leibinger. Our previous analysis of the building was focused on the visual clarity of the facade, but also the tectonic complexity of this curtain wall.
The precise geometry of these glass panels allows for the creation of sharp aesthetics, achieved through variation of shape and inclination.
This exercise aims to break down this amazingly resolved facade, by introducing a second skin layer, which does not interfere with its geometrical complexity, keeping the profiles as sleek and slender as possible.
The additional layer does not affect the existing panels but rather shapes a secondary layer of glazing, able to increase the ability of the curtain wall to control interior temperatures better.
The secondary skin is made of glass panels supported on an aluminium frame. The frame duplicates the geometry of the existing facade and is attached to it.
All the joints are placed on the orthogonal mullions and not the inclined CNC-cut frame of the diagonal glass panels, as the structural stability of the latter remains debatable.
The outer Low-E glass layer preserves the three-dimensionality of the original design, while the interior layer can now be made of flat laminated glass panels. Both layers have operable parts.
The success of this intervention lies in breaking down the original intention of the architect to concentrate all the functions of the curtain wall into one single layer. By separating the layers and assigning different roles to them, we manage to use the interior glass facade purely for air and water sealing, while using the exterior one to control temperature and sunlight.
This allows for materials to get finer, and potentially for the original glass to be replaced with an alternative Low-E glass material that would reduce the overall cost of the facade while simultaneously maintaining its reflective aesthetics.
Overall the exercise demands and high level of precision in modelling, rendering drawing and model making, it is the joined process and workflow that allows to achieve realistic but still speculative results.
The glass panels are supported on an aluminium frame. The frame duplicates the geometry of the existing facade and is attached to it. All the joints are placed on the orthogonal mullions and not the inclined CNC-cut frame of the diagonal glass panels, as the structural stability of the latter remains debatable.
The success of this intervention lies in breaking down the original intention of the architect to concentrate all the functions of the curtain wall into one single layer. By separating the layers and assigning different roles to them, we manage to use the interior glass facade purely for air and water sealing, while using the exterior one to control temperature and sunlight.
This allows for materials to get finer, and potentially for the original glass to be replaced with an alternative Low-E glass material that would reduce the overall cost of the facade while simultaneously maintaining its reflective aesthetics.
