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Arup Facade Engineering
Creating a building fabric out of the ordinary requires a set of specialists: architects, engineers, façade experts, physicists, chemists and specialised manufacturers all huddled above the drawing board. The new expression “fabric engineering” can be applied to the international firm Arup which, with 9000 people in 86 offices in 37 countries dominates the world market. Its multidisciplinary approach, qualification and knowledge are exerting a significant influence on the established environment. Arup boasts a considerable group of experts that cover virtually all the aspects of façade design, from the conceptual drawing and detailed analysis to production. The many projects developed recently with great architects include some chosen as examples in the exhibition “Building Know-how – Innovation in the Building Fabric” presented at SaieSpring.
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1. CMA CGM (Zaha Hadid Architects) photo
© Euroméditerranée / Zaha Hadid, Arup
Under construction in Marseille, the 150-m tower designed for a maritime transport group features a dynamic glass facade formed by two curves joined to form a star. Arup Facade Engineering has helped the architect define the appearance and facing performance criteria. The central section of the tower uses a simple dark glass skin which contrasts with the external facing to create as light a double-skin system as possible. The result is an elegant, flowing and sculptural building that explores the interpenetrability between the erected structure and the soil. |
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2. Florence Train Station (Foster + Partners)
© Foster + Partners / Arup
Intended to requalify the urban fabric, the new high-speed train station will make a lasting impression on the cityscape of Florence. 450 metres long by 52 metres wide, the building, which projects a strong yet light image, as Norman Foster himself pointed out, is dominated by an enormous glass roof supported by a light steel structure. The designers have nonetheless opted for innovative solutions for reducing energy consumption and polluting emissions. The roof is composed of a variety of glass, opaque and photovoltaic panels. Each component performs different functions. A series of diaphragms guarantees ambient and acoustic control but also air renewal, smoke control and natural lighting for the tracks situated 25 metres down. |
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3. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (Wilkinson Eyre Architects)
© Wilkinson Eyre Architects / Arup
A complex geometry has been developed thanks to the use of CAD systems and the analysis of the solar and thermal incidence. Such expertise has led to the selection of an appropriate façade system: single or double curvature, multi-facets or free forms following the example of the ‘Gardens by the Bay’ project developed by the architects Wilkinson Eyre in association with the landscape architects Grant Associates. Winner of an international competition, the building is intended as a new destination for the Marina South district in Singapore. The spectacular structure is intended to preserve an ecosystem and to house trees 40 metres tall. |
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