More Offices

O1 O2 O3

Isar Buro Park: Munich Germany

Architect: Maki and Associates

The Japanese architect, winner of an international competition for the project, designed this office building with the idea of connection between natural environment and manmade. This is done through the bridging of elements on the buildings exterior surface linking and controling daylight and heat within the offices. Here structural elements have both an architectural appeal and a functional purpose.

Inland Revenue: Nottingham UK

Architect: Micheal Hopkins & Partners

Seen above is the central cummunal facilities beneath a tent like structure found at the heart of the complex. This space gives an escape from the office environment housing a restaurant, cafeteria, nursery and a sports area, seen in the image below right. The rest of the complex is designed combining modernism and vernacular elements to form a series of office buildings. While the main architectural features are playful in form they also assist in protecting the interior space from heat gain and direct sunlight, which might cause glare and distraction.

The interior space recieves large amounts of indirect sunlight into the space through skylights and reflected or diffused light from the sides. The top skylight also ventilates the office providing fresh air in through louvers along the central support. The northern exterior shown below right is defined in visual appearance by the mechanical blinds that automatically adjust to the weather to control the amount of sunlight directed into the interior.

Office Design Systems

For more on naturally ventilated office systems.

Riewoldt, Otto Intelligent Space: Architecture for the Information Age, London: Calmann & King Ltd. 1997