Foster + Partners has revealed plans for a new headquarters for clothing brand Bench. The office tower has been carefully designed to respond to the local climate and seismicity, while also minimizing its grid-based electricity usage.
The Bench Headquarters is currently under construction in the Philippine capital Manila on the island of Luzon and will consist of 24 floors, most of which will be taken up by office space, plus there will be a light-filled atrium that can double as an event space, and several greenery filled terrace areas.
Of course, we'd struggle to call any new building made using concrete truly sustainable, but Foster + Partners did go to significant effort to reduce its carbon footprint, including the use of a carbon calculator system to track all building materials and measure their carbon emissions, allowing the noted architects to make tweaks and changes to lower the building’s carbon footprint, alongside other energy efficient additions.
"Foster + Partners' Environmental Engineering team has carefully calibrated the facade performance to allow enough light into the floorplate, while cutting out glare and reducing cooling loads," explained the firm. "As part of the solution, an innovative awning system with deep overhangs on the east and west facades has been incorporated, to protect the building from the highest levels of solar exposure.
"As the site is located in a highly seismic area that is less than a kilometer [0.6 miles] from an active fault line, the structural team used state-of-the-art Performance-Based Seismic Design to create a solution that goes beyond standard code-defined structures. With the aim to minimize embodied carbon, the structural design of the building was carefully optimized to reduce weight and achieve a high degree of balance and symmetry."
As well as the focus on natural light mentioned, the building will make use of recycled stone. Its rooftop terrace will be shaded by a large solar-panel array that's expected to produce over 10 percent of the building's total electricity demand on site. According to Foster + Partners, the building's sustainability features reduce operational energy demand by over 40 percent, compared to a standard building. However, we'll find out more on its energy figures as the project progresses.
The building is slated to receive the LEED Platinum green building standard though we've no word yet on when it's expected to be completed.
Source: Foster + Partners
