flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Embassy's dual façades add security and beauty

Embassy's dual façades add security and beauty


August 11, 2010
This article first appeared in the 200912 issue of BD+C.

The British government's new 46,285-sf embassy building in Warsaw, Poland's diplomatic quarter houses the ambassador's offices, the consulate, and visa services on three floors. The $20 million Modernist design by London-based Tony Fretton Architects features a double façade—an inner concrete super structure and an outer curtain wall. The building-within-a-building addresses safety and security concerns, but also serves as a thermal buffer during harsh Polish winters and as a thermal chimney to draw out warm air during the summer. The glazing has a silver coating and aluminum cladding has a bronze finish to soften the building's massing.

Related Stories

Great Solutions | Feb 8, 2018

Stackable steel modules speed building core construction

With this patented, steel-and-concrete hybrid system, the service core will no longer be the schedule bottleneck on new construction projects.

Events Facilities | Jan 18, 2018

Gamers paradise: The rise of eSports arenas

More than 380 million fans take in professional video gaming events each year, but most do so without leaving home. Dedicated eSports arenas could change all that.

Building Technology | Jul 28, 2017

Stanford develops a robot that grows like a vine and carries with it inestimable applications

For construction, the robot could be used for wiring the ceilings or floors of a building.

Building Technology | Jul 7, 2017

An elevator that moves sideways? Germany is about to take that ride

Thyssenkrupp’s cable-less MULTI system promises higher transport capacity and lower peak power demand.

Building Technology | Jul 6, 2017

Construction sites will be human-free by 2050, according to Balfour Beatty

The new paper also makes 10 predictions for the industry in 2050.

| Jun 13, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: Work in progress—How the office environment drives innovation, SageGlass (sponsored)

SageGlass CEO Dr. Alan McLenaghan reviews how biophilic design and new technologies, such as dynamic glass, create a greater connection between the built and natural environments in the office.

Hotel Facilities | May 18, 2017

Manchester modular hotel is constructed of shipping containers

The 220-room Holiday Inn Express hopes to be completed in less than 12 months.

Building Technology | May 9, 2017

Movers + Shapers: Innovation Superchargers

Wexford Science & Technology’s ‘knowledge communities’ provide the real estate spark to ignite budding S+T startups.

Great Solutions | May 5, 2017

No nails necessary: Framing system comes together with steel zip ties and screws

Clemson University’s School of Architecture develops a patent-pending construction method that is gaining attention for its potential use in rapid, low-tech sustainable housing.

Building Technology | May 5, 2017

Tips for designing and building with bathroom pods

Advancements in building technology and ongoing concerns about labor shortages make prefabrication options such as bathrooms pods primed for an awakening.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Contractors

Contractors expect to spend more time on prefabrication, according to FMI study

Get ready for a surge in prefabrication activity by contractors. FMI, the consulting and investment banking firm, recently polled contractors about how much time they were spending, in craft labor hours, on prefabrication for construction projects. More than 250 contractors participated in the survey, and the average response to that question was 18%. More revealing, however, was the participants’ anticipation that craft hours dedicated to prefab would essentially double, to 34%, within the next five years.

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