Sector: Offices

Location: San Francisco, California, USA

Architects: Skidmore Owings & Merrill / Gensler / Mark Cavagnero Associates

350 Mission Street represents the new headquarters of cloud computing giant Salesforce.

At 492,000-square-feet, 350 Mission Street is San Francisco’s first LEED Platinum high rise, and that focus on sustainability was the driving factor behind every decision made on this project. Chris Heimburger, Senior Vice President of Development for developer Kilroy, describes the goal of the project as the creation of a “high performance work environment” in every aspect from employee performance to optimised operating costs.

One of the key factors in achieving these goals was the utilisation of underfloor service distribution (UFAD). Using UFAD allowed for 100% filtered outside air to be brought into the building and distributed in an energy-efficient method. Running power and cable through the plenum allowed for the creation of a greater floor-to-ceiling height which increased overhead space for employees and allowed larger windows for improved daylighting.

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Following 2015 research data which showed that buildings in New York City were responsible for 67% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, New York officials updated their energy efficiency standards for both new and existing buildings.

A historic 34-strorey high rise on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue was due for renovation, specifically a roofing remodel on a particular floor to improve the building’s performance. With the new standards in place set by the New York City Energy Conservation Code, a retrofit was needed to achieve these standards.

This project came with significant design challenges for the building owner. The addition of multiple layers of insulation would require significant renovations to the roof, and the additional thickness from the introduction of insulation posed challenges in ensuring railings were at an adequate height.

There was also the major issue of the need to vacate space around the works during periods of heavy activity. This would require moving some tenants out for a period of six to nine months – causing significant disruption for them as well as loss of income for the building’s owner.

In looking for a solution which would cost less, save time and meet the regulations the building owner chose next generation Kingspan OPTIM-R insulation. Designed for projects which require creative solutions, Kingspan OPTIM-R is ultra-thin and perfect for retrofit applications.

The insulation did not affect the railing details or impact on roof pavers and door thresholds. This meant heavy renovation works were not required and therefore no need for tenants to vacate the building. With New York City also facing a labour shortage at the time, the opportunity to cut down on project time meant that contractors had the leeway to ensure the best workers were on the job.

With over 3 months saved in construction time, a higher-performing building and cost-savings of over $1.2 million – the 5th Avenue retrofit represents an excellent example of how a creative, next-generation product can offer the solutions clients need without negatively affecting quality.

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Winston-Salem, the City of Arts and Innovation, has a new facility for artists. Designed to be an economic catalyst for neighbourhood growth, the 14,500-square foot Art for Art’s Sake (AFAS) building features two galleries, an art centre for community education, artist studios for rent, an AFAS board room, event space, leased office space and an outdoor sculpture garden on the building’s front lawn. Together, the unique campus provides a new indoor/outdoor venue for the city, furthering the non-profit AFAS mission to “build, educate and celebrate” community through art.

By cladding the building with UniQuad panels in ice white matte over ice white matte, the UniQuad system met Stitch Design Shop’s energy performance needs and desired look – all in a single panel design.

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Featured on RTE 1 on Sunday, the episode showcased an incredible building project from the presenter, Baz Ashmawy, and his team of volunteers for Tipperary woman, Sinead Barry and her family.

Sinead’s husband, Michael (34), tragically passed away after a very short battle with cancer whilst self-building their dream home. For five years, Michael had been self-building their house, and when he fell ill and sadly passed away in March 2019, the home was unfinished.

Baz and the team from DIY SOS The Big Build Ireland stepped up to help complete the new build last year, creating an incredible family home for Sinead and her three young children.

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Sector: Offices

Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Architect: Gensler

Photography: Dror Baldinger FAIA Architectural Photography

In the heart of East Austin, Texas, on the site of a former recycling centre, new type of shared office space is utilising elements from the former warehouses of the neighbourhood. UpCycle repurposes almost all of the original 1972 warehouse building.

The building becomes energy efficient by using Kingspan Karrier Panel under this skin, insulating the building envelope. The ethos of the building seeks to highlight its industrial past, and even includes a repurposed train car which serves as a front porch lounge equipped with seating, WiFi and music.

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Welcoming users to a new 6,500 space parking structure are a “garden” of translucent polycarbonate canopies that sprout up around the entry/exit escalators and protect guests from the elements while treating them to some playful architecture as they make their way to the playland that is Disneyland Resort.

Other canopies on the property shield users from sun and rain, while still allowing for a bright, light and welcoming space underneath.

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The goal for the new 14,000 sq. ft. Wilmington Sports Center was to provide thousands of underserved youth in the area new sports programming opportunities, with natural daylighting playing a huge role in the basis of design for its health benefits and reduced energy costs. Rosetti Architects wanted to replicate the feeling of playing outside, but without the heat and glare.

The multi-purpose sports complex and youth training center features 23,580 sq. ft. of our UniQuad translucent wall system to achieve this feeling, reducing glare and heat gain in the process and providing an abundance of natural daylighting in the arena portions of the building. Our system features bold graphics on the ice white matte and blue-glazed panels, highlighting the new home for the 76ers Minor League affiliate basketball team, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The recreation center houses three basketball courts, two full-size soccer fields, retail and office space, and a physical therapy and orthopedic clinic for community members.

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