New Green Benefits of a Traditional Building Material
When most people think of green building materials, concrete is not the first product to come to mind, nor is it on top of the list. More than likely, bamboo flooring or reclaimed steel are by far more popular choices. However, it is a common fact in our industry that expressed in-situ, or exposed cast-in-place concrete, not only has several environmental benefits but aesthetic and cost-saving advantages as well.
In the early and middle parts of the 20th Century, iconic architects the likes of Le Corbusier, Paul Rudolph, Louis Kahn and Carlo Scarpa all used in-situ concrete in their minimalist work. As a traditional building technique, it reached the height of popularity in the late 1950's and 60's and then, interestingly, sharply declined during the 1970's due to the competitive cost of this labor-intensive material. So, even though architects valued in-situ concrete for its flexibility and texture, it became cost prohibitive for use in large-scale residential and commercial buildings. One of the last great residential exposed-concrete buildings is I.M. Pei's Kips Bay Towers which looms over Second Avenue and 30th Street in New York.
Today, GKV Architects is re-introducing exposed cast-in-place concrete to residential architecture not only as a design feature but also as a building material with added environmental benefits. Given a choice, one of our fundamental philosophies is that we prefer not to cover 'ugly' concrete columns with beautiful brick, but rather strive to create artistic columns and façades from concrete. By adapting construction techniques and systems from highway and roadway projects, we are now able to produce elegant exposed in-situ concrete at a cost savings to the project. By eliminating the need for additional cladding, the developer benefits from both reduced labor and material costs and timesavings, often reducing the period for construction financing by four months. This also gives us the opportunity to explore design directions that create a fresh new building form. At the same time, projects including Chelsea House, 10 Chelsea and Lumiere have environmentally friendly characteristics while featuring façade patterns made possible only by the poured-in-place concrete.
Taking into consideration the environmental benefits of exposed concrete, one of the more significant characteristics is thermal flywheel effect. Concrete stabilizes the interior temperature of a building year-round due to the material's ability to absorb a tremendous amount of heat from the sun without transferring it to the interior of the building. In the winter months, concrete helps keep interior temperatures constant by only slowly shedding its stored latent heat. As a result, the temperature remains stable for a longer period of time even when heating or cooling factors change suddenly. The overall eco-friendly impact concrete has is that it not only reduces the amount of cooling or heating needed during peak energy consumption hours, it minimizes the size of the required cooling/heating equipment.
As a façade, exposed in-situ concrete also acts as an energy saving material because it is also hygroscopic, which means that it will easily absorb humidity. Taking this into consideration, we designed 10 Chelsea, a residential development that will rise adjacent to the High Line, with a façade relief pattern that will be formed during the structural pour. The mass of the concrete exterior will have a cooling effect during New York's steamy summer months which will reduce the frequency of running the air conditioning systems and lower energy consumption.
Poured-in-place concrete structures with integral wall sections like Chelsea House, developed by The Clarett Group, are less prone to infiltration through construction gaps typically found in steel and panel cladding construction giving it yet another attractive quality.
Long term, exposed in-situ façades will require far less repair or replacement than exteriors made from other building materials such as brick and metal. Lastly, concrete is a locally produced material which greatly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels normally expended when façade materials and assemblies are shipped from far away places.
By thinking about high tech concrete with a new modern twist as both a viable structural and façade material, we are changing how developers view a building product that dates back to ancient Rome. This award-winning concept supports the growing trend that the once forgotten façade material is again coming into vogue and being recognized not only for its rich texture but also as an environmentally friendly product.
All in all, exposed cast-in-place façades are one of the many building techniques that benefit both developers and the environment. By reducing energy consumption, the amount of building materials and the source-to-site lifecycle are positive by-products of concrete façades and time and cost-saving construction methods need not be at odds with green building ideals.
In the early and middle parts of the 20th Century, iconic architects the likes of Le Corbusier, Paul Rudolph, Louis Kahn and Carlo Scarpa all used in-situ concrete in their minimalist work. As a traditional building technique, it reached the height of popularity in the late 1950's and 60's and then, interestingly, sharply declined during the 1970's due to the competitive cost of this labor-intensive material. So, even though architects valued in-situ concrete for its flexibility and texture, it became cost prohibitive for use in large-scale residential and commercial buildings. One of the last great residential exposed-concrete buildings is I.M. Pei's Kips Bay Towers which looms over Second Avenue and 30th Street in New York.
Today, GKV Architects is re-introducing exposed cast-in-place concrete to residential architecture not only as a design feature but also as a building material with added environmental benefits. Given a choice, one of our fundamental philosophies is that we prefer not to cover 'ugly' concrete columns with beautiful brick, but rather strive to create artistic columns and façades from concrete. By adapting construction techniques and systems from highway and roadway projects, we are now able to produce elegant exposed in-situ concrete at a cost savings to the project. By eliminating the need for additional cladding, the developer benefits from both reduced labor and material costs and timesavings, often reducing the period for construction financing by four months. This also gives us the opportunity to explore design directions that create a fresh new building form. At the same time, projects including Chelsea House, 10 Chelsea and Lumiere have environmentally friendly characteristics while featuring façade patterns made possible only by the poured-in-place concrete.
Taking into consideration the environmental benefits of exposed concrete, one of the more significant characteristics is thermal flywheel effect. Concrete stabilizes the interior temperature of a building year-round due to the material's ability to absorb a tremendous amount of heat from the sun without transferring it to the interior of the building. In the winter months, concrete helps keep interior temperatures constant by only slowly shedding its stored latent heat. As a result, the temperature remains stable for a longer period of time even when heating or cooling factors change suddenly. The overall eco-friendly impact concrete has is that it not only reduces the amount of cooling or heating needed during peak energy consumption hours, it minimizes the size of the required cooling/heating equipment.
As a façade, exposed in-situ concrete also acts as an energy saving material because it is also hygroscopic, which means that it will easily absorb humidity. Taking this into consideration, we designed 10 Chelsea, a residential development that will rise adjacent to the High Line, with a façade relief pattern that will be formed during the structural pour. The mass of the concrete exterior will have a cooling effect during New York's steamy summer months which will reduce the frequency of running the air conditioning systems and lower energy consumption.
Poured-in-place concrete structures with integral wall sections like Chelsea House, developed by The Clarett Group, are less prone to infiltration through construction gaps typically found in steel and panel cladding construction giving it yet another attractive quality.
Long term, exposed in-situ façades will require far less repair or replacement than exteriors made from other building materials such as brick and metal. Lastly, concrete is a locally produced material which greatly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels normally expended when façade materials and assemblies are shipped from far away places.
By thinking about high tech concrete with a new modern twist as both a viable structural and façade material, we are changing how developers view a building product that dates back to ancient Rome. This award-winning concept supports the growing trend that the once forgotten façade material is again coming into vogue and being recognized not only for its rich texture but also as an environmentally friendly product.
All in all, exposed cast-in-place façades are one of the many building techniques that benefit both developers and the environment. By reducing energy consumption, the amount of building materials and the source-to-site lifecycle are positive by-products of concrete façades and time and cost-saving construction methods need not be at odds with green building ideals.
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