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

Concrete Technology | Dec 5, 2016

Telescopic walls could help combat the damages of floodwaters

The project is currently under development by a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Buffalo.

Building Technology | Nov 10, 2016

New system from MIT may help buildings monitor stress and damage over time

The computational model is being tested on MIT’s Green Building.

Building Technology | Nov 10, 2016

Multifamily development in Miami will feature healthy indoor environments

The 100-unit tower will incorporate healthy living enhancements from The Wellness Habitat Company.

Building Technology | Oct 7, 2016

How much is that LEED point worth? A new tool provides answers

Autocase analyzes the financial, social, and environmental benefits of certification.

Building Technology | Oct 5, 2016

Autodesk’s new BUILD Space is focused on the future of making things in the built environment

The 34,000-sf facility will host teams from academia, industry, and practice doing work in fields including digital fabrication, design robotics, and industrialized construction.

Contractors | Aug 10, 2016

Dodge launches new app to simplify pros' search for suitable projects to bid and work on

The product, called PlanRoom, could be particularly useful in sharing data and communications among AEC teams.

Virtual Reality | Jul 30, 2016

Stantec to open VR showrooms in two offices

The firm moves into its second stage of testing this technology as a real-time design tool.  

Building Tech | Jul 14, 2016

Delegates attending political conventions shouldn’t need to ask ‘Can you hear me now?’

Each venue is equipped with DAS technology that extends the building’s wireless coverage.

Sponsored | Building Technology | Jul 11, 2016

3D scanning technology solves University of Iowa Children’s Hospital’s curved wall curveball

Gilbane Building Company utilized advanced 3D scanning technology as part of a virtual design and construction (VDC) solution to ensure quality control throughout the lifespan of the project

Building Technology | May 24, 2016

Tech is the new office perk, says a new survey of American workers

But most employees still see their companies falling on the dull side of the cutting edge. 

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