Login
Registered users
The contemporary building sector is increasing having to measure up to energy and environmental requirements such as non-invasive construction, thermal insulation, heat recovery, geothermal energy and natural ventilation systems. This necessitates a building design approach that integrates energy management systems into the building at the drawing-board stage. Which is exactly what happened for Capricorn Haus in Düsseldorf where the ventilation and air-cooling system is an integral part of the façade realised by Schüco together with Trox. This low maintenance, energy-efficient office block was designed by the Gatermann and Schossig practice for Capricorn Engineering, a company whose name has been synonymous since the 80s with the preservation and recovery of vintage racing cars. Today with its sister company, Capricorn Development, it is at the cutting edge of innovative technologies in a range of industrial sectors. Located in south Medienhafen, Düsseldorf, the Capricorn Haus is a seven-storey building, a landmark for its sinuous shape that follows a railway line running along its southern perimeter. The mix of transparent and closed elements on the façade creates a good balance between visibility to the outside and reduction of solar loads. Innovative geothermal energy provides baseline climatisation using concrete core conditioning while decentralised ventilation and air-cooling are contained in the modular façade. The result is a completely new combination of ecology, commercial viability and personal wellbeing. Specialists in opening systems, facades and solar energy plant, Schüco installed 850 FSL (FassadenSystemLüftung) units for the Capricorn Haus façade. The system contains all the plant and technology regulating the interior environment, freeing up internal space and floors. With a grid of 350 square metres, the building has ample rooms, with no pillars or recesses for plant and equipment, making for great versatility.
Digital
Printed
Duilio Damilano
Duilio Damilano
There are three useful keys to interpreting the work of Duilio Damilano: symbol, sculpture and emotion. Symbolic key. Damilano was studying architectu...
Dirk Cove House
Niall McLaughlin Architects
The Atlantic coast of Ireland is buffeted by the, often stormy, weather coming from the ocean. The series of beacons along the rocky coast were once l...
Ochoalcubo House
Sebastián Irarrázaval
The guiding idea of the project “ochoalcubo” is something of a utopian resolution: to build high quality, high efficiency residential buildings gi...
