Judges of the 2014 World Architecture News (WAN) Façade Awards have lauded PTW Architects’ One Central Park Sydney and Woods Bagot’s South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute for their visually appealing exteriors.
Although they missed taking out the top award, which went to the recycled copper façade of CO Architects' Health Sciences Education Building in Arizona, PTW Architects were praised for their successful application of a bio-dynamic façade across One Central Park.
The Sydney building features extensive vertical and horizontal gardens including 30m high hydroponic green walls, modular polyethelene hydroponic planter boxes with stainless steel latticed vine climbing cables, a 40m cantilevering sky garden/heliostat reflector and trafficable green roofs.
The WAN judges commented on the exceptional handling of the façade’s vegetation, with one judge stating that he’d “never seen green walls used so comprehensively on such a big building.”
The façade of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute also caught the attention of the judges, who were impressed by the research Woods Bagot conducted to ensure a climate appropriate design.
Located in Adelaide, the medical institute’s exterior comprises 15,000 triangular glass/aluminium panels on a hybrid steel diagrid and curtainwall organic form.
The façade skin maximises natural daylight while minimising glare and energy use by incorporating sun shading.
This contributed substantially to the building’s achievement of a LEED Gold rating and a WAN judge’s acknowledgement that “the façade makes the building significantly more interesting.”
Also joining the two Australian buildings with a highly commended achievement was the porous façade of the Rojkind Arquitectos designed Liverpool Department Store in Mexico City.
Dubbed ‘the world’s largest architectural awards programme’, the WAN awards is an ongoing program, with nominations currently open for more categories. To find out more, please visit World Architecture News.
PTW Architects’ One Central Park Sydney – Image: Simon Wood Photography
Woods Bagot’s South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute - Image: Trevor Mein
Rojkind Arquitectos’s Liverpool Department Store - Image: Jaime Navarro
