flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

BioSkin 'vertical sprinkler' named top technical innovation in high-rise design

BioSkin 'vertical sprinkler' named top technical innovation in high-rise design

The design approach is based on the traditional Japanese practice of uchimizu, the sprinkling of water to lower ambient temperatures, clean the streets, and keep dust at bay.


By CTBUH | July 10, 2014
All photos:  Harunori Noda / courtesy CTBUH
All photos: Harunori Noda / courtesy CTBUH

BioSkin, a system of water-filled ceramic pipes that cools the exterior surface of buildings and their surrounding micro-climates, has won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

The initial use of BioSkin was at the NBF Osaki Building in Tokyo, Japan. Based on the traditional Japanese practice of uchimizu, the sprinkling of water to lower ambient temperatures, clean the streets, and keep dust at bay, BioSkin absorbs heat through rainwater evaporation, mitigating the urban heat island effect by cooling the building, as well as its immediate surroundings.

Through this process, the surface temperature of the building enclosure can be reduced by as much as 12°C and its micro-climate by about 2°C. The potential implications of this are substantial: If a large number of buildings in a city used such a system, ambient air temperature could be reduced to the point that cooling loads for many buildings, even those without the system installed, could be reduced.

 


The initial use of BioSkin was at the NBF Osaki Building in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: © Harunori Noda / courtesy CTBUH

 

“This is a remarkable façade solution, both in its concept and how it has been beautifully detailed,” said David Scott, Technical Awards Jury Chair and lead structural director of the Engineering Excellence Group at Laing O’Rourke, London, UK. “I look forward to seeing this being proven by measurement. It is elegantly and delicately detailed, and it is quite outstanding, as it is combined with many other innovations in this remarkable building.” 

The CTBUH Innovation Award recognizes a specific area of recent innovation in a tall building project that has been incorporated into the design, or implemented during construction, operation, or refurbishment. The areas of innovation can embrace any discipline, including but not limited to:

  • Technical breakthroughs
  • Construction methods
  • Design approaches
  • Urban planning
  • Building systems
  • Façades
  • Interior environment

The Awards Jury also recognizes several Finalists in the Tall Buildings Innovation category.

  • Living Walls – as used at One Central Park, Sydney, Australia, also the recipient of the 2014 Best Tall Building Asia & Australia award.
  • Active Alignment – as used at the Leadenhall Building, London, UK.

All award winners will be recognized at the CTBUH 13th Annual Awards Symposium, which will take place at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, on November 6. The symposium will be followed by the awards ceremony and dinner in the iconic Crown Hall, designed by Mies van der Rohe. The 10-Year, Lifetime Achievement, and Building Performance awards will be announced in the coming weeks, and will also feature at November’s awards events.

For more on the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award, visit: http://www.ctbuh.org/Awards/AllPastWinners/2014Awards/PR_InnovationAward/tabid/6474/language/en-US/Default.aspx.

Related Stories

| Oct 3, 2014

New survey tracks Americans’ attitudes towards transit use

A record 10.7 billion rides were taken on public transit in the United States last year. And a national survey of Americans finds that the speed, reliability, and cost, more than any other factors, determine people’s willingness and frequency of use.

| Oct 2, 2014

Effective use of building enclosure mock-ups within the commissioning process

Engineers from SSR offer advice and guidelines on implementing building enclosure mockups on any project.

| Oct 2, 2014

Budget busters: Report details 24 of the world's most obscenely over-budget construction projects

Montreal's Olympic Stadium and the Sydney Opera House are among the landmark projects to bust their budgets, according to a new interactive graph by Podio. 

| Oct 1, 2014

Long-time competitors NAC|Architecture and Osborn merge

The combined firm has offices in California, Colorado, and Washington, and offers a wide range of services, from landscape architecture and graphic design to architecture and interior design.

| Oct 1, 2014

Philip Johnson's iconic Crystal Cathedral to be modernized, made 'intrinsically Catholic'

Johnson Fain and Rios Clementi Hale Studios have been commissioned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange to upgrade the all-glass church in Garden Grove, Calif. The church acquired the property in 2012. 

| Oct 1, 2014

4 trends shaping the future of data centers

As a designer of mission critical facilities, I’ve learned that it’s really difficult to build data centers to keep pace with technology, yet that’s a reality we face along with our clients, writes Gensler's Jackson Metcalf. 

| Oct 1, 2014

EYP, WHR Architects merge, strengthening presence in education, healthcare, energy sectors

The merger unites 530 professionals to better address some of the most critical issues facing our nation, namely education, healthcare, and energy.  

| Sep 30, 2014

The Big Room concept: Using Building Team collocation to ensure project success

Implementing collocation via the Big Room concept will remove silos, ensure a cadence for daily communication, promote collaboration, and elevate your chances for success, write CBRE Healthcare's Stephen Powell and Magnus Nilsson.

| Sep 30, 2014

USGBC, Bank of America name recipients of 2014 Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant Program

Eleven projects have been selected for the 2014 Affordable Green Neighborhoods grant program. Each will receive $31,000 and an educational package to support their pursuit of LEED for Neighborhood Development certification.

Sponsored | | Sep 30, 2014

What are you doing to win business and improve morale?? VDC Director Kris Lengieza shares ways to do both

Bluebeam's Sasha Reed sits down with Kris Lengieza, Director of Virtual Design and Construction for Stiles Corporation, to learn how he approaches change management. SPONSORED CONTENT

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Construction Costs

Data center construction costs for 2024

Gordian’s data features more than 100 building models, including computer data centers. These localized models allow architects, engineers, and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows a five-year view of costs per square foot for one-story computer data centers. 


Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.



Healthcare Facilities

Watch on-demand: Key Trends in the Healthcare Facilities Market for 2024-2025

Join the Building Design+Construction editorial team for this on-demand webinar on key trends, innovations, and opportunities in the $65 billion U.S. healthcare buildings market. A panel of healthcare design and construction experts present their latest projects, trends, innovations, opportunities, and data/research on key healthcare facilities sub-sectors. A 2024-2025 U.S. healthcare facilities market outlook is also presented.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021