[wyliepoon]

From Canadian Architect:

Link to article

In the Skin of a Building
5/10/2006


Decisions about a building's exterior cladding are critical to fulfilling the overall design vision. At the same time, they are essential for meeting design objectives such as environmental performance.

Presentations and a panel discussion will explore ways designers work with particularly unique building envelopes. Organized by the City of Toronto Building Division, the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto, "In the Skin of a Building" takes place Tuesday, May 16 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in the Royal Ontario Museum Theatre located at 100 Queen's Park in Toronto.

Presenters and panelists include members of the design teams for three significant additions to Toronto's cultural and institutional landscape:

*The ROM Crystal – Paul Gogan of Bregman & Hamann Architects, in joint venture with Studio Libeskind
*The Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR) – Stefan Behnisch of Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner in joint venture with architectsAlliance
*The Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – Stephen Best of Foster and Partners and Cannon Design

Entrance to this free public event is through the ROM's south door near the Museum subway stop.

"In the Skin of a Building" is part of fAd 2006, this year's Festival of Architecture and Design. fAd includes a wide range of exhibitions, films, receptions, talks, tours and Doors Open Toronto. It is also part of "Live with Culture," a 16-month celebration of creativity.

Further details are available on www.toronto.ca/fad, www.doorsopen.org, and www.livewithculture.ca or by calling Access Toronto at 416.338.0338.

 

[alklay]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

Many thanks for this notice. It sounds interesting.

 

[building babel]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

Anyone else go?

I thought the Three Guys Named Steve acquitted themselves well when 'splaining how the outsides of their buildings came to be the way they are.

* ROM Steve talked about how they evolved a design languge by projecting lights on the surface of crystal shaped models. They transposed the proportions and feel of the surface shapes into the building. From outside cladding to inside, the walls are 4 feet thick. He described the way rain and snow run off is done. Snow is broken up as it slides off the building because the upper edges of the extruded cladding are slightly upturned. They used models in wind tunnels, and submerged in water, to figure out where snow will gather and the structural engineers worked from that.

* CCBR Steve from Germany was the most critical of how Canadians use cheap energy costs ( compared to Europe ) to avoid producing energy efficient buildings. He said the payback for having such things as operable windows is quality. Outside shading devices ( such as on the Four Seasons Centre! ) are better than fritted glass, and interior shading is less efficient still. They didn't use brick on CCBR because they didn't want to connect the new structure, formally, with the existing brick buildings. Small floor plates in the building mandated strong vertical connections in the design. Architects so often ignore the "fifth facade" ( roof ) and he pointed out images of ugly tops to buildings ... including his own.

* Pharmacy Steve said they figured out the concept in the first three weeks and stuck to it. The building is in two parts -an upper box with sparsely populated research labs that don't need lots of light, and a heavily populated and more open ground level. Closed box at top, open box at base. Less glazing on the south side of the upper box to reduce heat gain. More glazing on the north side of the upper box where there is less sun. The uses were fitted into the building on that basis. Set up a "respectful" dialogue with the surrounding buildings - soffit of Pharmacy aligned with parapet of the building to the north for instance. Admitted some things didn't work as planned - the original design called for much stronger horizontal banding of the upper box to contrast with vertical banding ( columns etc. ) of the lower box. No illumination in the atrium during the day. A couple of days ago they tested different lighting effects to colour the pods - he showed images of them glowing bright red etc. at night

Use of much glass allows public realm to flow through the building at street level and allows buildings such as CCBR and Pharmacy to meet the street and be a part of the city.

 

[alklay]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

I would have love to gone but did not have the opportunity.

Thanks for the update and summary.

 

[building babel]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

Thorsell, in his tight little Jimminy Cricket suit, introduced the panel and referred to the new rash of buildings as, "architecture as art, not as ideology or style."

Rochon said a few choice words about how we live in a voyeuristic age full of glass buildings. She pointed out that the turny-up thing the ROM is doing to break up snow as it slides off the roof was done in Quebec centuries ago.

John Bentley Mays staggered to his feet and growled something about other cladding options at ROM Steve, who gamely responded.

No questions from the floor.

And so, home.

 

[ganjavih]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

No one from the Ryerson Business Building to discuss the lovely two-tone precast and corrugated siding?

 

[building babel]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

Would anyone dare step forward in public and claim responsibility for it?

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

"A couple of days ago they tested different lighting effects to colour the pods - he showed images of them glowing bright red etc. at night"

They were lit up green and yellow tonight - they look like organelles (which makes them seem like they'd be better off in CCBR). Pharmacy still looks like shit compared to CCBR, but the pods make it bearable at night...maybe the coloured lights could change ever so slightly, like the Soho Met sign.

 

[building babel]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

Pharmacy Steve said they produced an "understated" building because of the importance of the site. He described the dialogue between it and the existing buildings, how they created views right through the lower glass "open" box to show those buildings, allowing people at ground level to feel connected to the campus. He also showed lots of samples of slightly different coloured fritted glass that they chose from for the upper "closed" box.

I generally find talks like this, where you go to the primary source of information about something, to be very worthwhile. Stefan Behnisch in particular had a direct manner, and a quirky sense of humour when pointing out the realities of working life.

 

[Chuck100]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

CCBR is terrible from a comfort point of view. I was working up there one day in early April, with the sun shining directly into the part of the building I was sitting in, and the heat was so unbearable that I had to pick up and leave after 5 minutes. Way to go on that one CCBR Steve! You designed a building that requires air conditioning from March to October because it lets in so much heat. Recall that air conditioning requires far more energy than heating.

 

[building babel]

Re: "Skin of a Building"- Building Cladding Discus

You should've been there to confront him.