African project Cruises International – South Africa
REEN PHILOSOPHY
afternoon presents a heating and light problem , which was addressed with long narrow vertical windows and few window openings . Further to this , the entire building was plastered externally with a plaster compound that thermally insulates the building resulting in an insulated envelope with a very consistent temperature during winter and summer periods .
The building is cooled during the summer with an evaporative cooler system fitted by Crown air . Careful planning considerations had to be given to determine airflow and cooling in triple volumes and offices . The building is heated in the winter with a heat exchanger that heats water for under floor water heating , eliminating the need for electrical under floor heating . All of these technologies are driven with a solar photovoltaic system with a battery back up and building management system . A dedicated server room manages all these technologies .
The most distinguishable feature and central area of the Cruises International building represents the bow of a cruise ship . The prominent glass feature creates a large volume that forms a triple volume entrance feature with a delicate curved stair that hugs the wall . The glass surfaces installed here needed special thermal low emission glass to insulate the building by not allowing the heat to escape in winter and to reflect the heat out of the building and keep the interior spaces cooler in summer . Due to the shape , the curved glass feature has the added effect of breaking the noise of the freeway in the
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