Silverspur

Palos Verdes, USA
2006

XTEN Architecture
www. xtenarchitecture. com

Palos Verdes Peninsula in the vicinity of Los Angeles is renowned for year round sunshine. This abundance can be both a blessing and a curse on the Southern California lifestyle.

When it comes to maintaining comfort in the workplace, new strategies and innovative technologies are required. One of the biggest challenges is the one faced by developers looking to upgrade under-performing building stock and improve investment returns. XTEN Architecture undertook the renovation of an existing 30,000 square feet office building by using high efficiency fixtures and technologies to transform both the interior and exterior of the building.

The new green roof of the building provides thermal mass and insulates the interior from solar gain whilst aiding the harvesting of rainwater (Fig. 3). Radiant heat added to the underside of the
new concrete slabs reduces reliance on the costly forced air systems.

The most significant impact on the building was gained from the re-modelled building facade. A combined strategy of increasing daylight through full storey height glazing combined with high-tech shading was implemented to increase energy efficiency. The shading fabric used is perforated and micro-laminated which results in a reflection of 80% of the potential solar gain. However, considered positioning allows full transmission of natural light, greatly diminishing the reliance on artificial lighting. Occupiers of the re-modelled offices also benefit from uninterrupted views of their surroundings (Figs. 4, 5,6) .

Silverspur’s pleasing external aesthetic is due in part to its changing appearance throughout the day and into the night (Figs. 1, 7, 9).

98 Silverspur I Palos Verdes | USA | Fig. 1 above | Fig. 2 right

1

її

11

‘—Я

– ї – 1

J

Updated: October 4, 2015 — 4:23 pm