NEWS GLOBAL BEST TALL BUILDING AWARD
The stunning new HQ building for KfW Bank in Frankfurt, which features extensive use of Wicona unitised curtain walling, has won a major global architectural award.
T
he prestigious accolade for the World’s Best Tall Building has been awarded to the KfW project by the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) – the leading international authority on the design, construction and development of tall buildings. Described as a ‘remarkable building’, the $85m KfW scheme was designed by architects Sauerbruch Hutton to combine form, colour and sustainability. With a primary energy consumption of just 98kWh/m2
, it is also one of
the world’s most sustainable office buildings. The building, known as Westarkade, provides office space for 700 staff and a conference centre. Its base is a curved four-storey podium connected to the bank’s adjacent buildings on several levels. A 10-storey tower rises above the podium in a ‘flowing’ form that responds to the prevailing wind direction and orientation of the sun, maximising natural day light and achieving the best possible views for the occupants of the neighbouring KfW buildings.
The scheme’s most distinctive feature is its bespoke double skin façade constructed using Wicona’s aluminium unitised curtain walling.
The envelope consists of an encircling ‘sawtooth- shaped cavity’ which encloses automated blinds to reduce solar gain and control glare. The exterior is defined by a skin of fixed tempered glass panels and colourful
ventilation ‘flaps’ in red, blue and green, helping to create a striking aesthetic. The internal façade has alternating opening and fixed glazed units. This dynamic façade solution negates the effect of variable pressures around the building, allowing natural ventilation all year round and for the occupiers to open the windows on the inner skin whilst avoiding both draughts and heat loss. A roof-mounted weather
station linked to the building management system monitors wind speed and direction, and controls the façade’s outer ventilation flaps. This solution introduces fresh air when required and creates a zone of constant pressure surrounding the inner skin of curtain walling. Air can then be drawn into the offices via floor vents or the occupier-controlled windows.
www.wicona.co.uk Email:
info@wiconaprojects.co.uk Tel: 0845 602 8799
• contracts • contracts • contracts • contracts •
FT FINLEY AWARDED FOUR YEAR LIVERPOOL HOUSING TRUST CONTRACT FT Finley has been awarded a four year contract by Liverpool Housing Trust (LHT), part of the Symphony Housing Group, for the planned replacement of UPVC windows and doors across its housing portfolio. Working across all LHT customer profiles, the properties are located in a number of areas across the North West. The anticipated value of the contract is potentially £350,000 per annum, equating to
£1.4 millon over the course of the four years.
“We evaluated the tender submissions based on quality and cost, and FT Finley stood out from all of the other applications in the robust tender exercise” explained Damian Whittingham, Projects Team Leader at LHT. “Having previously worked with FT Finley on other projects, I know that the team is very efficient and can complete jobs with minimal disruption to tenants. FT Finley routinely goes above and beyond expectations and the company was a clear choice for this project.” Fred Finley, MD of
FT Finley, commented: “By replacing the UPVC windows and doors on these
properties, we’ll be improving the energy efficiency of the buildings, helping the residents to cut their fuel bills. We have a breadth of experience in managing
16 PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
planned and reactive work of this nature and are confident that we can complete this project to a high standard, within the designated time frame.”
www.ftfinley.co.uk
£20M CONTRACT BOOST FOR IAN WILLIAMS Facilities management company Ian Williams has secured two new public sector contracts and four framework agreements, worth in excess of £20m.
The public sector specialist has secured contracts with Plymouth Community Homes and Eton College, as well as being placed on frameworks with Rugby Borough Council, Shropshire Council, Warwickshire County Council and Warwick University. The contracts and
frameworks include electrical refurbishment, repairs and
building and cyclical decorations, and range from three to four year projects. Ian Williams will be working with Plymouth Community Homes on electrical and bathroom and kitchen refurbishments as part of its major
improvement project over the next four years. The company’s specialism in working within the education sector has
demonstrated by an extension of its cyclical decorations contract with Eton College, and being included on a cyclical decorations framework with Warwick University. Warwickshire County Council has taken on the company for minor repairs and building work, and Shropshire County Council has placed Ian Williams on its framework for building,
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