The credit institute UBS, one of the world’s leading banks, announced an international competition, calling on a specially-invited group of studios to present proposals for a major new office building, paying particular attention to ecology and energysaving. To that end, the architects worked with an interdisciplinary team of specialists. Thus, the project presented by Camponovo integrated energy-saving and architectural concepts. An analysis of the grounds, situated in a purely industrial zone that offered little of distinction, suggested a self-contained solution and an architecture for the façades reflecting that of the area. The building’s compact form respects the most elementary laws of energy savings and, architecturally speaking, confirms its autonomy. The public functions, such as the bank branch and school, are located in the projecting element, whereas the offices, designed to allow maximum organizational flexibility, are found in the long horizontal blocks. The building is predominantly oriented towards its vast covered inner courtyard, comparable in size to Leonardo’s Ducal Square in Vigevano. In addition to the energy-saving benefits of this space, it provides an excellent, pleasant organized space for both work and leisure. Since this 2,700-square-meter interior communal space is covered, the climate can be controlled throughout the year, in this case by a new system of passive, natural ventilation that uses no energy at all. The exterior air is conducted through conduits under the building before emerging into the courtyard. These conduits lie in contact with the water table, whose temperature remains constant at about 11° Centigrade, with the result that the air inside is heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. In addition to providing a landmark that distinguishes the building, the courtyard is an energy catchment area as well, reducing the building’s winter heat loss by as much as 36%. The cover is light and transparent so that the sky is clearly visible; thanks to its clever design, it can also be equipped with transparent solar panels and systems for protection from the sun, both of which contribute enormously to lowering the overall energy consumption. Finally, the water elements are not only pleasant to see and hear, but also play a functional role in cooling the central computer systems. All in all, this project tackles many pressing issues, elaborated in collaboration with the Federal Materials Office of Dübendorf (EMPA), which, once developed and implemented, could bring new knowledge and skills to improve building criteria in the world of construction.
Giampiero Camponovo
1990
Manno
Banks and Financial Institutions, Projects