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CONCRETE QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2011 | ISSUE NUM

SOLID AIR

Concrete soars to new at the Polish Aviation

in Krakow

SOMETHING FRESH

Bennetts Associates Mint Hotel a cool city slicker in one of Londons

most venerable districts

ALPINE PEAK

Te Swiss conservation centre

thats scaling the worlds toughest

eco standards

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ConCrete eLeGAnCe review

A new publication rom Te Concrete

Centre aims to assist designers

in optimising the sustainable

credentials of concrete.

Concretes exibility and inherent

properties offer many opportunities

for designers to optimise a

developments wider impact,

including performance credentials

such as fre, durability, acoustics

and adaptability.

Te guide, entitled Speciying

Sustainable Concrete, focuses on

concretes constituent materials

and how specifcation variation

can inuence the sustainability o

concrete.

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Specifying sustainable concrete

Tis isConcreteWant to fnd out about exemplarconcrete design and construction

projects? Te Tis is Concrete

campaign aims to encourage debate

and project-based eedback on a wide

range o concrete issues and projects.

It offers factual evidence, case

studies and videos, real-time Twitter

updates and a newsletter.

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aaag f all hs l scs,

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David Chipperfelds remodelling othe Neues Museum in Berlin has

won the 2011 European Union Prize

or Contemporary Architecture,

the Mies van der Rohe Award. Te

project, which uses concrete to great

effect to fuse the elements of the

reconstruction into a comprehensive

whole, was featured in CQ Spring

2009.

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Chipperfeldwins EU prize

bACk to nAture At tHe buiLdinG Cen

FurtHer viewinG

Take a virtual tour o David Chipperfelds Hepworth Wakefeld gallery,

intriguing geometric structure on the banks o the River Calder, eatu

acade made rom pigmented concrete, poured in-situ to produce a mo

impact. t h , g .ccc.cm/cass

Concrete at one with nature was something o a theme at the most re

Concrete Elegance event held at the Building Centre in London. e le

eatured Stanton Williams Sainsbury Research Laboratory in Cambrid

a landmark building with a collection o over 1 million plant specimens

including those collected by Darwin during his voyage on the Beagle.

e building is conceived as a sequence o spaces that interact with th

surrounding botanic garden, connected by a continuous route that rec

Darwins own thinking path. e structure uses layers o exposed in-

concrete and limestone to produce a strata-like eect, and provide a s

that balances the permeability o expanses o acade glazing.

Also on show was the new Dover Esplanade, designed by Tonkin Liu

Architects, which seeks to echo the architectural language o Dover itwith sculptural walls, ramps and staircases o white concrete that rec

waves alling upon the seashore and the topography o the White Cli

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A collegiate court provides space to think at the Sainsbury Research Laboratory in Cambri

Tis translucent and light-transmitting concrete cladding is part o an installation that attempts

to recreate the experience o hallucinogenic drugs, entitled CCPP or Space, light, sound and drugs.

It was produced by concrete moulding specialist Butong, working with design col lectives Cochenko

and Quatorze, and will tour French schools and institutions as part o a drug awareness campaign,

commissioned by the French Ministry o Culture. For more information, go to www.butong.eu

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4 | CQ | SUMMER 2011

FEATURE | IUCN CONSERVATION CENTRE, SWITZERLAND

FORCE OF NATURETe new headquarters o the International Union or the Conservation

o Nature in Switzerland uses the power o the sun and the thermalmass o several dierent kinds o concrete to cut energy use to new lows.Tony Whiteheadexplores one o Europes most sustainable buildings

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6 | CQ | SUMMER 2011

FEATURE | IUCN CONSERVATION CENTRE, SWITZERLAND

PROJECT TEAM

ContractorKarl Steiner SA

Architect AGPS

Structural engineer

INGENI

Mechanical engineer

Amsein + Walher

Te job o ensuring that the

several dierent types o concrete

used in the conservation centreall perormed structurally ell to

Claudio Pirazzi, o Geneva-based

engineer INGENI SA.

We had to enter unknown

territory, he admits. We had not

worked with recycled or insulating

concrete beore, and the material

properties were not all ully

known at the outset, so we had

to conduct research and orm

hypotheses.

Pirazzi says that since recycled

concrete is not as rost-resistant

as that made with ordinary

aggregate, the ground slabwas cast in standard, in-situ

concrete. Te other three slabs

are not in direct contact with

the weather, so these are all

cast using aggregate substitute

recycled rom local demolitions,

he says, adding that these slabs

amounting to some 40% o the

total concrete used in the building

were also were CO2-reduced

by using limestone fnes as a

secondary cementitious material.

All precast elements including

the columns and balcony

balustrades were cast locallyusing standard concrete.

Most challenging or Pirazzi was

the entrance tower. Connecting

the old building with the new,

and housing a staircase within it,

this has its own highly unusual

structure, built as it is rom a

massive monolith o insulatingconcrete.

Tis element passes through

the heated area o the rootop

suite, all the way down, via

entirely exposed exterior areas,

into the closed but unheated

basement, explains Pirazzi.

Using insulating concrete means

that one material can be used or

all these areas.

Pirazzi says that this concrete

is a seven-times better insulator

than ordinary concrete, but it is

not as eective as rockwool. So

we played upon thickness, hesays. We made the insulating

concrete 55cm thick.

He explains that using a single

material through dierent parts

o the building gives a simplicity

to the design that was also cost-

efcient.

But there were structural

issues, he says. Tis type o

concrete is very light and about

three times less resistant than

standard concrete. It is not

usually used in this way so, even

at the thickness we were using it,

we had to conduct many tests toensure it would be strong enough

to support the entrance tower and

provide earthquake resistance.

Fortunately, the tests confrmed

our original hypotheses.

We had o ener unknown erriory

fast as possible, presented interested cont

wih fve schemaic plans a 1:200 scale. A

Hanspeer Oeser says: I was quie unusu

were no details, no quantity survey, no buil

permi. Because o hese circumsances h

panel chose Karl Steiner SA as much on its

and attitude as its approach to the design.AGPS realised at once that the building

would have to be quite radical to meet bud

programme and environmental targets, an

Oester says that it was conceived as a conc

srucure righ rom he sar. I had o be

to something we had done before there w

ime o sar rom he beginning, he says.

used concrete to create low-cost, highly su

buildings before at Zurich airport for exam

and we knew we could make it work for the

Concrete offered a high thermal mass, a st

frame, and low cost.

A 78m x 42m, he srucure is recangula

plan with one interior atrium and one cut-a

atrium on the perimeter. It has a basementpark, two storeys of accommodation, includ

ofce and exhibiion space, a library, a cae

penthouse conference facility all linked to

IUCNs similar-sized existing stone-clad bu

Te new building is heaed and cooled by

180m-deep hea exchanger loops. Hea ra

uid is pumped hrough he building in pip

which take it to ceiling-mounted convector

warm he air in winer and cool i in summe

also directly heat or cool the concrete struc

the thermal mass of which eliminates peak

Ventilation is controlled by sensors which r

LEFT

Photovoltaic panels provide

most o the buildings

electricity

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Karl Steiner SA frst became involved

in the project in 2007, working with

AGPS and the client to reduce costs.Tere were many occasions when we

had to say, We cannot do this or the

money, says project managerJean-

Manuel Megow. But because we were

honest about this, and had an open

relationship with the designer and

client, we managed to agree a way

orward.

Steiner then agreed to complete the

project or a fxed price. Construction

and tender documents were drawn

up, LEED requirements inserted into

contracts with subcontractors and

the contractor moved on site in June2008 with an 18-month schedule.

Te concrete rame was completed

on time by January 2009. Megow says

it was a airly straightorward process:

We had very good support, both

rom Holcim, which provided much o

the concrete, and also the structural

engineer INGENI.

Special measures did have to be

taken though, to comply with the

fner details: LEED orbids the use

o expanded oam sealant in the

ormwork, so we had to use an ancient

method o rope and sand instead.Work on the triple-glazed acade

was completed by April, but then the

contractor met its biggest challenge.

Te ground oor slab is open to cold

air in the basement garage below,

and so the topside had to be covered

with 36cm o insulation to protect the

interior rom cold bridging.

As Megow explains, the difculty lay

in incorporating the new technology

within the insulating layer without

compromising its perormance.

decentralised system o heating

ventilation was very new. Combthe technology with the insulat

screed was very complex, and to

longer than the planned six to e

weeks.

Steiner spent the early part o

summer o 2009 wrestling with

problem, but with the screed fn

laid and dried, interior ft-out co

begin. Tis went smoothly and,

despite the earlier delays, the b

was completed in January 2010

He adds that some of the balustrades co

panels were sandblasted to achieve an alm

naural sone look. Tis helped creae a un

the travertine of the original building, whic

balustrades, for example, could not have do

A further consequence of the balcony des

ha here is no need or fre-raed corridors

the building. Internal circulation areas can

as semi-ofce space, and virually all he in

can be easily reconfgured or changing useInside you also noice he concree is no

or coaed or clad nohing, says Oeser. B

have wooden doors, oiled wood hand rails a

guard rails. Te hings you eel, we have ri

make smooth and nice to touch. It balance

natural texture of the concrete.

New echnologies, new maerials and jus 18 monhs o ge he job done

the CO2exhaled by occupants.

A striking feature of the building is the concrete

balconies ha run around boh soreys. Tese have

concrete balustrades precast in panels shaped to

echo he zigzag profle o he rooop phoovolaic

panels. Oeser says: Te balconies ac as fre

escapes and also give shading to prevent solar gainto the storeys below.

And there was another sustainable reason for

choosing concree: We also had a ocus on using

local suppliers where possible and this part of

Switzerland has a long tradition of supplying

precast concrete.

ABOVE

Internal areas are used as

semi-ofce space, as concrete

balconies remove the need or

fre-rated corridors inside

ABOVE RIGHT

Te centre is linked tothe IUCNs existing

stone-clad building

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8 | CQ | SUMMER 2011

OPORTO, PORTUGAL |VODAFONE OFFICE

PROJECT TEAM

ClientVodafone

Architect Barbos

Guimares

Engineer Carlos

Contractor Teixe

Duarte

TALK OF THE TOWNTe Vodaone building in Oporto has been labelled one o the most amazing creative ofces in theworld, and its extraordinary shape would not have been possible without the use o concrete

Tedesign o the new Vodaone ofces in Oporto,

Portugal, is inspired by the companys slogan

Vodaone lie, lie in motion. Architect Barbosa

& Guimares has taken the slogan and created a

building o movement and dynamism. Te irregular

geometry o the structure challenges a number o

preconceptions most notably, preconceptions oconcrete as a construction material. Te realisation

o this building has been made possible not only by

the structural strength o concrete but also by its

exible plasticity. Tis has allowed the irregular and

aceted reeorm shapes that give the building its

distinctive sense o movement.

Concrete is responsible or more than just the

exterior panache; it also supplies a ull structural

solution. Te building has a peripheral structural

shell o concrete, with internal support reduced

to two stairwells and three central pillars. Tis

provided the architect with the reedom to create

such technically complex orms and versat

internal spaces.

Te 7,336m2building has eight oors, fve

ground with three basement oors. On the

oor is a Vodaone store and cae. Te our

above house the ofces. In the basement a

training suites and car parking. Natural lighis provided through continuous jagged ribb

windows cut into the length o the north an

elevations. Te main volume o the ofce b

aces Boavista Avenue where, in acknowled

o the buildings to the east and west, the o

rises rom three to fve storeys.

Te overall impression o this building is o

creativity, un and architectural quality. Sty

website Te Cool Hunter has described it as

o the most amazing creative ofces in the

Letting loose concretes innate plasticity ha

created a building that is indeed lie in mot

LEFT

Irregular concrete s

the building its dist

sense o movement

BELOW

Natural light is prov

through continuous

lines o windows

Te internal spaces are clean and uncluttered

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PAPER AEROPLANEConcretes playul character is revealed by the origami-like olds o the PolishMuseum o Aviation in Krakow

In-situ reinorced concrete is

draped over the glazing

TeMuseum Lotnictwa or Polish Aviation

Museum in Krakow houses one o the worlds

largest collections o historic aircrat and

aviation-related arteacts. Designed by Pysall

Ruge Architekten, the 4,500m2

main buildingtakes its inspiration rom the sites history as the

ormer Rakowice-Czyzny airport, built in 1912

or the Austro-Hungarian empires air eet 7.

Te old aircrat hangers set the scale o the new

building with a vast ootprint o 60m x 60m and a

soaring height o 12m. Te architects have sought

to capture the spirit o both the col lection and

the location in an expressive and emblematic

structure that combines aviation symbolism with

technological prowess.

Divided into three triangular wings, rom above

the building resembles an aircrats propeller. In two

wings there are exhibition spaces, a cinema and a

PROJE

ClientMuzeum

Polskiego w

ArchitectPy

Ar

Engi

POLISH AVIATION MUSEUM | KRAKOW, POL

conerence room. Te third contains a library, cae

and administration ofces. Te central hub o the

propeller provides the entrance hall. Te wings are

generously glazed, providing ample natural light

and tempering the solidity o the structure.Te geometric concrete structure olds over the

glazing like a paper aeroplane or a piece o origami.

Te walls are constructed rom in-situ reinorced

concrete and the roo rom reinorced concrete

panels supported by a steel semi-space structure.

Te concrete appears to drape over the glazed

areas, lending a lighter and more playul character

and also serves a practical purpose it protects the

exhibition space rom direct exposure to the sun.

Internally the concrete is let exposed, its visual

robustness reecting the light that streams in

through the oor-to-ceiling windows and seeming

to ground the collection o exhibits rom the realm

o ight. Troughout the museum the fnishes

are natural and subdued so as not to detract romeither the exhibits or the external views o ered by

the large walls o glazing.

One o the nominations or the prestigious 2011

Mies van der Rohe Award, the Polish Aviation

Museum provides a symbolic and modern

architectural structure that is closely allied with

historical aviation. Importantly, this symbolism has

not been at the expense o practicality. Te three

wings provide a logical and efcient layout and

the structure complements rather than dominates

the adjacent buildings demonstrating that this

building is no mere ight o ancy.

ABO

From

the

rese

prop

LEFT

Inte

kios

ino

the

coll

Te museum houses one o the worlds largest collections o

historic aircrat

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10 | CQ | SUMMER 2011

BUILDING REVIEW | MINT HOTEL, LONDON

HOW REFRESHINGe Mint Tower o London, Bennetts Associates new 12-storey, our-starhotel in the City, is concrete at its coolest

With583 bedrooms, the new four-star Mint Towerof London is one of the largest hotels to be built

in central London. Te building takes the orm o

a broad courtyard with the facades following the

medieval street lines o the adjoining area. Tere

is a smooth sequence o spaces that takes hotel

visitors through from a colonnaded entrance to

a dramatic sky view.

Visitors approach the hotel through the

substantial external colonnade before entering

a double-height lobby that occupies the entire

courtyard space. A vaulted glass roo marks

the division between the public areas and the

bedroom oors. Ascending past the bedrooms,

visitors come to the SkyLounge, an imposing

structure perched on top of the 12-storey buildingthat cantilevers over the lower levels and offers

spectacular 360 views over the City of London

and the River Tames. In addition to the

SkyLounge, the hotel has a restaurant, two bars

and conference facilities.

Another feature of the hotel is the nine-storey

living wall that covers the south-facing side of the

courtyard. Te living wall covers a massive 1,025m 2

and is thought to be tallest green wall in Europe.

Starting rom the second oor, it reaches the 11th

oor o the internal courtyard, and also wraps

around the outside of the hotel from the ninth A double-height lobby occupies the entire courtyard, with a smooth sequence o spaces

High-quality shu

used or the expos

in the

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PROJECT TEAM

ClientMint Hotel

ArchitectBennetts Associates

EngineerAECOM

Main contractor Laing ORourke

Concrete contractorExpanded Structures

Landscape contractor Frosts Landscape Cons

A living wall cover

1,025m2 rom th

th

storey up, before connecting to the green roof area.

Te wall will help to reduce the urban heat island

effect and to combat water run-off.

Due to the physical limitations of the site and the

time restrictions imposed by the City of London,

the best structural solution was determined to be

precast concrete twinwalls and lattice slabs with

structural topping. Secant and load-bearing piles,

to a depth of 20-25m below the basement slabform the foundations 35% of the load-bearing

piles on the western side of the site incorporated

geothermal pipe work as a contribution towards the

Greater London Authority planning requirement

or 10% onsite renewable energy. In-situ concrete

construction met the complex structural

requirements o the basement to the second oor,

including accommodation of wider structural grids

and service routes within the depth of the transfer

structures. Te use o high-quality shuttering

ensures an excellent fnish or the exposed

concrete in the public areas.

A key requirement or the client was or al l walls

between rooms to be concrete, which provides high

levels o inherent thermal efciency, fre resistanceand sound insulation. Te nine bedroom oors are

therefore constructed in precast twinwall, precast

columns and precast lattice slabs with a 130mm

concrete topping. Four cores on the project were

constructed using a jumporm alsework solution,

and precast staircases were incorporated within

these cores.

Te structure was designed around a design,

fabricated, manufacture and assembly (DFMA)

process in order to improve production,

programme and quality. Precast components were

manufactured off site in factory conditions to

ensure a high-quality fnish. Tis meant that the

rooms as well as the external facades only required

a spray plaster fnish and ensured that the tight

programme limitations could be met. Adopting the

DFMA process also reduced high-risk activities on

site, such as working at height.

Replacing a non-descript 1960s building, the

hotel has a strong urban character, providing a new

hospitality and leisure venue and a focus to the

surrounding area. Tis is the second London project

that Bennetts has carried out for Mint Hotels. A

third hotel is nearing completion in Amsterdam.

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this is

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This is Concreteis supported by The Concrete Centre

Underhill House, in the heart of the Cotswolds, is the first in England to be

certified to Passivhaus standards. The home is built with concrete and masonry

and is a stunning and comfortable home with exceptional thermal and airtight

performance.This is worth talking about.

Want to know more? Join the discussion at thisisconcrete.co.uk

This is concrete