RMJM Milano has won a competition to design the new Sanko Headquarters. The building will comprise offices, meeting rooms, an auditorium, and a restaurant.
The building volume was stretched and modeled to create a dialogue with the surrounding area. The form and the fenestrations have been designed to appear as if they were shaped by the forces of nature. The central void extends from the ground up to the roof of the building to flood the interior with light. The natural light illuminates the atrium and, together with PV panels, allows for reduced electricity usage.
Each floor, from the upper floors down to the auditorium, will include plants and greenery to create a connection to nature and improve the quality of ambient air. The outside greenery contrasts solar radiation to help keep the building cool and reduce the need for air conditioning.
The service and parking spaces include an innovative system that stores rainwater to be re-used for watering the plants on each floor and for other non-potable use. The domestic grey water is recycled for toilet flushing and irrigation, reducing pollution of the local water body.
The HQ is slated to be finished by 2023.
Related Stories
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 22, 2013
6 visionary strategies for local government projects
Civic projects in Boston, Las Vegas, Austin, and suburban Atlanta show that a ‘big vision’ can also be a spur to neighborhood revitalization. Here are six visionary strategies for local government projects.
| Aug 22, 2013
Warehouse remake: Conversion project turns derelict freight terminal into modern office space [slideshow]
The goal of the Freight development is to attract businesses to an abandoned industrial zone north of downtown Denver.
| Aug 20, 2013
Code amendment in Dallas would limit building exterior reflectivity
The Dallas City Council is expected to vote soon on a proposed code amendment that would limit a building’s exterior reflectivity of “visible light” to 15%.
| Aug 16, 2013
Today's workplace design: Is there room for the introvert?
Increasingly, roaming social networks are praised and hierarchical organizations disparaged, as workplaces mimic the freewheeling vibe of the Internet. Research by Susan Cain indicates that the "openness" pendulum may have swung too far.
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Aug 13, 2013
DPR's Phoenix office, designed by SmithGroupJJR, affirmed as world's largest ILFI-certified net-zero facility
The new Phoenix Regional Office of DPR Construction, designed by SmithGroupJJR, has been officially certified as a Net Zero Energy Building by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). It’s the largest building in the world to achieve Net Zero Energy Building Certification through the Institute to date.
| Aug 8, 2013
Stanley Hardware introduces Flexi-Felt for protecting floors
Stanley Hardware offers a solution to the frustrating problem of protecting your floors. The answer is Flexi-Felt®, an innovative product line that eliminates the aggravation of frequently replacing felt pads and leg tips that usually wear down or fall off, causing damage to expensive floors.
| Aug 8, 2013
New green property index could boost REIT investment in more sustainable properties
A project by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the FTSE Group, and the U.S. Green Building Council to jointly develop a Green Property Index could help REITs attract some of the growing pool of socially responsible investment money slated for green investments.
| Aug 6, 2013
CoreNet: Office space per worker shrinks to 150 sf
The average amount of space per office worker globally has dropped to 150 square feet or less, from 225 square feet in 2010, according to a recent global survey conducted by CoreNet Global.