ABSTRACT
Exterior balconies along the entire east facade continue around to the short ends of the building. Acting as building-integrated shading devices, the balconies serve other functions: as emergency escape routes and as easy maintenance access for window cleaning and for servicing the ceramic screen. The tubes channel rainwater collected from the roof of the building and filtered before feeding the evaporative process. A seemingly simple idea of utilizing heat removal associated with evaporating water to cool the building required extensive engineering and product development before the concept could materialize as a functioning facade assembly. Horizontally mounted ceramic tubes are joined together into one large water drainage system running down the entire east facade. Architecturally, the placement of core functions along the entire west side offers an opportunity for a unique façade expression, where the shiny, mostly opaque metal skin takes on sculptural properties, modestly perforated with narrow glazed vertical openings.
