UC Irvine’s Humanities Gateway Building Awarded LEED Platinum Certification

Designed by Fentress Architects, the new signature gateway to the School of Humanities at UC Irvine is a spectacular and sustainable construction that recently achieved LEED Platinum certification. A number of energy efficient strategies were included, such as three-story light wells for daylighting, high performance mechanical systems, and occupancy sensors. The building is at once playful and creative while paying respect the tradition of the existing architecture of the campus.

UC Irvine asked Fentress Architects “for a building that captured the complex, multi-disciplinary character of a humanities education — a place to create a sense of unforeseen possibilities.” The firm took inspiration from Janus, the two-faced god of mythological literature with the gift of vision into both past and future, and gave the building a split persona.On one side, the building is completely traditional to match the existing architecture of the campus, while the other side is organic and evokes a sense of delight with its curvy, glass facade.

The modern ribbons of glass panels rise four stories tall and floods the interior with daylight and helps to minimize energy consumption. Taking advantage of the southern California climate, a number of outdoor areas provide space to study or meet.

Fentress Architect, builder Hensel Phelps Construction Company, and UC Irvine were recently awarded with a LEED Platinum certification earning 57 points as a result of their sustainable strategies. Three story light wells penetrate the building pulling daylight into the inner recesses of the building and high performing mechanical systems ensure a comfortable climate while minimizing energy use. Additionally, the Humanities Gateway makes use of the campus-wide chilled water plant for cooling along with efficient steam turbines. Regional materials were sourced for 40% of the building and occupancy and lighting sensors control the HVAC and lighting systems depending on if people are in the room.

The 76,000 sq ft facility was completed in 2009 and underwent a full commissioning service to ensure the building runs optimally.

36 Reclaimed Windows Transformed Into a Rustic Guest House in Sweden

Swedish architect Karin Matz’ Blocket Mini house is a beautiful waterfront cottage made from cinder blocks and 36 reclaimed windows. The daylit building is minimally furnished with recycled materials, and it sits along the shore next to a quiet pier in Sweden where it serves as a lovely rustic guest house.

Developed as Matz’ senior diploma project at architecture school, the Blocket Mini house sits on the edge of a lush property behind a main house. Set beneath the thick canopy of a tree, the structure stands on a pier-like platform that protects it from flooding. The project’s elevated floor is made from the same natural beams as the dock, creating a visual continuation of the pier. The floor inside has been treated with a darker stain than the attached patio outside, delineating the space between the glass walls. The house’s back supporting wall is made from untreated cinderblocks, and a corrugated metal roof slopes back gently to shed snow and rainwater.

Inside, the space is divided into two distinct sections separated by a wall made from six stacked windows. Each area is accessible from the front patio via a set of custom French doors made from windows. The left section of the house features a simple bedroom furnished with a queen-sized Murphy bed. When the bed is folded up, a simple table and chairs can be set up in the space and the wallpapered underside of the bed serves as décor. The other side of the structure is lined with shelving that stores ropes, ladders and hooks for motor boats, and a canoe that hangs on the cinderblock wall.

The Blocket Mini house connects the visitor with the outdoors by repurposing outdated windows that would likely have gone to waste.

1000 Recycled Doors Transform the Facade of a 10-Story Building in Seoul

South Korean Artist Choi Jeong-Hwa used 1000 brightly colored recycled doors to transform a bland 10-story building into an eye-popping visual indulgence. Jeong-Hwa is a master of using found objects to make provocative spaces, and the project is one of his most ambitious attempts to place normal things in an extraordinary way. The doors stretch up the scaffolding of the mid-rise, giving the hulking mass a pixelated charm.

Choi Jeong-Hwa’s imagery is born out his desire to let art engage with the greater population. His work is almost delusional – he takes ordinary, often discarded items and uses them to create unique spaces.

1000 Doors engages with the entire city of Seoul through its immense scale. The mass of doors reads like a crazy advertisement from afar. Up close, the juxtaposition of the common doors scaling the full height of the building is a bit jarring, if not amusing.

The piece makes a statement about how art changes how we see, as Jeong-Hwa puts it: “People think you can only find Korean Art in Museums and Galleries” for “other artists”. The ambiguity and strength of his work rests in the tactile quality of the discarded object itself.

Seattle’s Firestation 30 is a Copper-Clad Green Community Beacon

Completed just this year, Seattle's Firestation No. 30 is committed to the ongoing safety of the Mt. Baker community. Designed by Schacht Aslani Architects, the two story structure is the temporary home of six on-duty firefighters. Built with minimal impact on the landscape and enough sustainable strategies to achieve LEED Gold certification, the station is also a green beacon for the community. The Seattle fire station is framed in copper sheeting and is fully transparent on one side to open the inner workings up to the neighborhood.

Located at the juncture between the commercial activity of Rainier Avenue and the residential Mt. Baker neighborhood, Firestation no. 30 helps with the transition in scale between the two areas. Its highly transparent facade on the north side lets passersby get a glimpse of the activity going on inside, which improves the connection to the community. At night, the illuminated station is like a beacon and safe haven. Natural daylighting is balanced through the use of clerestory windows, skylights, north glazing, sun shading devices and fritting.

The building is located in a liquefaction zone, which means the soil is poor. To maintain the building’s integrity, it had to be made lightweight, so it was constructed out of a light wood frame and sheet metal skin be placed atop an elevated structural slab supported by an auger‐cast pile system. A geothermal heat pump system provides energy efficient heating and cooling, while materials were selected based on their sustainability in terms of content, cost and maintenance requirements. Rainwater is collected on the roof and directed to a bioswale on the west of the site. The project achieved LEED Gold certification.

Australia’s First Carbon Neutral Building is Now Complete!

No, this is not a rendering, do not adjust your screen. This crazy building is a real live structure and it's also Australia's very first carbon neutral building. Recently completed, the Pixel Building is an office building located on the former CUB Brewery site in Melbourne. Scoring a perfect 105 points on the Australia's Green Star rating system, the office building designed by Studio505 is an amazing example of what is possible in terms of energy efficiency, renewable energy, water collection, waste reduction and green roofs. Capable of collecting all of its own water and generating all of its own energy, the funky, colorful pixelated building is totally self-sustaining.

Pixel is a ‘Future Office’ – a prototype for commercial buildings that produce their own power and collect their own water for a future carbon constrained world. The four story building is home to developer and construction group Grocon who wants Pixel to serve as an example for their other projects. The project achieved a perfect score of 100 through the Green Star rating system and earned an extra five points for innovation for achieving carbon neutrality and including a vacuum toilet system, the anaerobic digestion system and reduced car parking. The developer is also targeting USGBC’s LEED certification as well as the UK’s BREEAM rating system to prove how well designed their building is.

The office building includes a native-planted green roof that harvests and collects rainwater. Based on historical rainfall, the building is capable of harvesting all the water it needs inside the office, making this building water neutral as well. Energy efficient design, which includes the use of the pixelated shade screen facade, double glazed windows, daylighting and natural ventilation minimize the need for energy. Meanwhile, solar panels and vertical axis wind turbines on the roof generate enough energy to offset the building’s electricity use. The Pixel Building’s vibrant facade gives it a unique identity and sets it apart from the neighboring structures, and its super sustainable strategies set it above most buildings in the world.

The Jungle Lodge in Bandipur, India is an Eco-Escape Set in the Valley

Designed by architect Nagesh H D, the Jungle Lodge in Bandipur, Karnataka, India, is a spectacular collection of eco-spaces set in the valley facing the Nilgiris Mountains. The cottages are split into a series of blocks in order to reduce bulk and maintain the natural drainage pattern of the site. The architecture is a combination of diverse construction methodologies based on local customs as well as modern techniques. The design prominently features local stone, acknowledging the traditional building techniques of the region. The interiors are naturally vented by louvered glass facades, and wastewater and sewage are treated by a reed bed system. Hot water for the cottages comes from solar water heaters, and backup electricity is supplied by roof-mounted photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine. Numerous floor-to-ceiling windows take advantage of natural light, integrating the lodge with its surrounding environment while amplifying the space within.