Envelope

Location: Rue De Rigoles, Paris, France
Duration: Yr 2 Semester 2
Project Type: Building Envelope Study

Medium: Digital

The project followed a close tectonic statement outlined at the beginning of the design process. The intention was to design a façade system that was both monolithic and porous concurrently. The intention was to respect the cities high usage of masonry, but by using a concrete to create an efficient structural system compared to using masonry as a primary building material. This material and assembly chosen is intended to reduce the construction time whilst exploiting the widely available workforce in France who are familiar with these specific construction and assembly techniques. The project focuses on using GFRC cladding panels for the facades main outer layer, with careful design and consideration for the connections to the main structural system, accounting for shear forces exerted from thermal expansion and lateral loading. Concerns over acoustic control, thermal bridging and the movement of moisture through the wall system were also explored through the development of the envelope.

The roof design adopted a green roof principle, exploring the considerations of moisture, growth medium and weight involved with using green roof. The purpose was to comply with a change in the building regulations for Paris which requires commercial and residential buildings to be at least partially covered by a green area, to reduce the urban heat island effect and chemical compounds such as sulphur dioxide and nitric acid. The U values of both elements were considered, the wall being 0.09 W/m2K and wall at 0.07 W/m2K.