Eco Factor: Sustainable, energy-saving architecture for South Korea.
Korean architect Kyu Sung Woo has designed a sustainable Asian Culture Complex (ACC) for May 18th Democracy Plaza in Gwangju, South Korea. Inspired by all natural sources, the complex aims to take sustainability and green design to a whole new era, where people and architecture blend with nature. Making the most of natural light, the complex has been designed with glass cube skylights, light tubes, light shelves and transparent scrims to create a connection with nature.
The complex will be built in a landscape featuring 300 flowering golden rain trees and the roof of the structure will be a grassy citizen’s park, with shaded bamboo plantations and attractive lawns. Sustainable systems such as optical daylight design and earth-contact heating and cooling systems will account for an energy savings of up to 40% over the conventionally conceived building. Other sustainable features to be incorporated in the design will include slab-embedded hydroponic radiant heating and cooling and natural air ventilation systems. Put together, the systems will get the architecture the highest rating by Korea’s Green Building Council. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2012.
The Dark Side:
The system does use natural sources for a cleaner environment. However, the energy for illuminating the complex after sunset and to power the complex’s escalators and elevators will come from conventional sources.
Via: DesignBoom
