flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Embassy's dual façades add security and beauty

Embassy's dual façades add security and beauty


August 11, 2010
This article first appeared in the 200912 issue of BD+C.

The British government's new 46,285-sf embassy building in Warsaw, Poland's diplomatic quarter houses the ambassador's offices, the consulate, and visa services on three floors. The $20 million Modernist design by London-based Tony Fretton Architects features a double façade—an inner concrete super structure and an outer curtain wall. The building-within-a-building addresses safety and security concerns, but also serves as a thermal buffer during harsh Polish winters and as a thermal chimney to draw out warm air during the summer. The glazing has a silver coating and aluminum cladding has a bronze finish to soften the building's massing.

Related Stories

Augmented Reality | May 30, 2018

HoloLens used as wayfinding device to guide blind people through complex buildings

Neither training nor modification of the physical environment are required to use the system.

Architects | May 14, 2018

4 tactics for our digital transformation

While our technology is becoming more advanced, the fundamental processes at the core of design and construction businesses have largely remained unchanged for decades.

Virtual Reality | May 8, 2018

‘Bespoke’ VR apps give Woods Bagot an edge in presenting design ideas

The architectural firm is finding that some clients respond quicker to proposals as a result.

Architects | Apr 16, 2018

Is the AEC industry ready to shake off its retrograde image?

Technology has been and always will be perceived as a source for wonder and worry.

Building Technology | Apr 10, 2018

A jobsite dashboard is helping Clark Construction take the drudgery out of managing punch lists

Turnover Vision is the latest example of Clark digitizing its construction management process.

Contractors | Apr 9, 2018

Tech Report 5.0: Smart(er) Jobsites

Real-time construction analysis, just-in-time materials delivery, digital production planning systems—these are just a few of the novel approaches construction firms are implementing to take control of their jobsites.

Building Technology | Apr 9, 2018

Autodesk opens its Forge platform, encouraging more suppliers to build onto it

The goal is to further streamline the construction process, from design to commissioning.

Architects | Apr 5, 2018

Tech Report 5.0: The Human Touch

Can studying humans at a behavioral level produce better buildings? Cognitive architecture experts are working to find out.

Building Technology | Apr 4, 2018

Tech Report 5.0: Digital Immersion

Indoor digital media changes the identities of buildings by stimulating occupant interaction.

Building Technology | Apr 3, 2018

Tech Report 5.0: AI Arrives

From construction scheduling to risk management, AEC firms see promise in budding artificial intelligence platforms geared for commercial building projects.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Engineers

Navigating battery energy storage augmentation

By implementing an augmentation plan upfront, owners can minimize potential delays and unforeseen costs when augmentation needs to occur, according to Burns & McDonnell energy storage technology manager Joshua Crawford.


3D Printing

3D-printed construction milestones take shape in Tennessee and Texas

Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete. In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021